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2 the people pages the people pages 3

positively 7th street by Melanie Sizemore, ECA and Elizabeth Bevan, HENF

Subsequent to The Boulevard Company’s presentation for the Roy White site to the community in December 2007, the Elizabeth Community Association (ECA) and Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood Foundation (HENF) asked for assistance from the Charlotte Planning Department. The request was to look at and plan for the whole of 7th Street instead of focusing on one development proposal at a time, as brought before the community in rezoning requests. The Planning Department concurred, recognizing the development pressures the neighborhood was facing. Despite their already enormous workload, the Planning Department was very responsive and engaged a consultant, Glatting Jackson from Atlanta, to conduct a design charrette for Seventh Street. The 7th Street Corridor Charrette is being sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department.

The 7th Street Corridor Charrette considers the area defined by 7th Street from Firemen’s Place to Hawthorne Lane, and one block to either side: for example, 7th to Greenway and 7th to 8th Street. The area has identified three centers (or nodes) where a focus for retail and higher residential density is expected.

The heart and largest node on the 7th Street Corridor is identified as 7th/ Caswell and Pecan intersection. The other two “nodes” are at 7th and Hawthorne and 7th and Weddington.

A charrette is an open process that includes all interested parties and produces a feasible plan. It is expected to be a collaborative process involving all disciplines of planning in a series of short feedback loops. Unlike a small area plan, a charrette is short term and highly focused, and has been used successfully by the Planning Department for other “hot spots” in the Charlotte community. The resulting plan, while non-enforceable, is to serve as the basis for recommendations from the Planning Department to Charlotte City Council.

Beginning in April 2008, the Glatting Jackson consultants conducted a series of interviews and meetings with the key identified stakeholders including the ECA, HENF, Boulevard Company, Conformity Corporation, Winter Properties, etc, and city departments such as CDOT, the Planning Department, Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, etc. On April 28, at the first meeting with all the stakeholders and city departments, the consultants reviewed the summary results of the interviews and the key issues identified through the

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John albertbeautification/trees704 719 1255 [email protected]

Nancy albertnewsletter704 719 1255 [email protected]

Russell Crandalltraffic/block captain704 894 2283 [email protected]

Michelle Dagenhartsocial704 335 0280 [email protected]

Freda Zehmembership704 333 3127 [email protected]

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Remember that old TV commercial with the line “Membership has its privileges?” So does becoming a part of the Elizabeth Community Association, your neighborhood advocacy group. Your $20 membership helps with our ongoing efforts to keep the neighborhood safe, beautiful, and vibrant.The E.C.A. has a number of ways for you to get active in your commu-nity. Just choose your area of special interest and talent and you’ll find

that with only a small contribution of time, you’ll meet neighbors and make new friends. Each commit-tee is composed of a number of folks who divvy up responsibili-ties, making it fun and easy to get on board. Fill out the membership form in the back of this newsletter and mail it along with your check to Elizabeth Community Associa-tion, PO Box 33696, Charlotte, NC 28233-3696. Or, if you’d prefer, send an email to Freda Zeh,

Membership Coordinator, [email protected], and

she’ll arrange to pick up your form. Be sure to sign up for any commit-tee in which you have an interest, and someone will contact you. No pressure or obligation. Just like another old TV slogan: “Try it, you’ll like it!” Inset photo: Nancy Albert, ECA newsletter editor. fr

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interviewing process. These key issues are the areas where stakeholders had the greatest differences and thus will be a focus of discussions in ongoing meetings.

The identified issues are:

Focus of development to • reinforce the node at Pecan and Caswell

Scale, massing, and • articulation of building frontage along 7th Street

Retail/residential mix•

Maintaining character of • corridor

Building heights•

Building transition between • 7th Street and backing residential uses

Future of roadway corridor – • lanes, public frontages

Over the next two days, the consultants worked with the various city departments to develop and negotiate agreements on concepts for development guidelines. The consultants then developed conceptual plans to reflect these guidelines. On April 30, the consultants presented this first draft concept for the 7th Street Corridor to the stakeholders and city departments. The framework of the draft concept is three guiding principles.

Recognize 7th Street’s role 1. as a neighborhood seam that must support both pedestrian and vehicular uses.

Enhance the unique 2. character of the built environment by differen-tiating forms in nodes and corridors and focusing development to reinforce the nodes.

Develop node locations that 3. respond to the context of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Following this first full working session, the Elizabeth Community representatives were asked to validate these three principles with members of the Elizabeth Community. During the first two weeks of May, a series of meetings were held with various neighborhood groups to review this first draft of the charrette and to obtain comments to the guidelines and articulations of the guidelines as presented by the consultants. On May 16, the comments from the Elizabeth Community will be presented to the other charrette stakeholders, and the consultants will present the next iteration of the proposals for review.

This is the first step in the process to define the design guidelines for the 7th Street Corridor and, hopefully, the beginning of a new small area plan for Elizabeth. Meetings will continue to be scheduled with the neighborhood at large to review the progress of the charrette and obtain feedback from the neighborhood. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings and provide

input so that collectively the neighborhood can address the long term needs for the community. We will use the website (www.elizabethcommunity.com) to announce meetings and welcome your comments and feedback throughout the process.

progressive Dinner table talk by the Progressive Dinner Committee

“It’s my favorite neighborhood event - the one that will keep me from ever leaving the neighborhood. I cannot do without this yearly chance to meet more of my incredible neighbors.” – a 5th Street neighbor

170 Elizabethans were lively at this year’s annual progressive dinner. The food was tasty, described by Peter Tart as “the best meal choice yet.”

The event sparked spirited discussions of art, politics, religion, development and the question of how Elizabeth’s progressive nature can embrace “going green.” A Cameron Avenue neighbor concluded, “The only complaint I have is that the evening wasn’t long enough!”

Starting at the Scott-Tylman “green” home for cocktails, guests progressed to 18 host houses, then to Nolia, the new southern bistro at Caswell and Pecan for dessert. Nolia’s owner and 5th Street neighbor Pamela Marcotte and its baker

Karen Price provided gourmet cupcakes to complement the organic wine & beer provided at cost by Common Market. Elizabeth’s good karma even held the rain back all night!

Download dinner recipes at www.elizabethcommunity.com.

Mint Museum needs docents by Allison Taylor

The Mint Museum is looking for docents. By conducting tours of the museum for students and adult groups, The Mint Museum’s volunteer educators contribute to the community, continue their education and appreciation of art and meet new people.

An enthusiasm for art, a friendly attitude and an ability to communicate with groups will qualify you to become a docent. Art experience is not necessary. Trainings are conducted on Monday morning beginning August 18.

For an application or more informa-tion, please contact Allison Taylor at [email protected] or 704-337-2032.

Church dedicates new pipe organ in renewed space by Warren Howell

St. John’s Baptist Church at 300 Hawthorne Lane dedicated its new organ on Sunday, May 18 with a recital given by church organist, Maureen Howell. The concert celebrated ph

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the church’s newly installed pipe organ (Opus 113) from Orgues Létourneau, of Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec.

In addition to the installation of the new organ, the church transformed its sanctuary to create an appealing space for both worship and concert events. Utilizing the services of an acoustician, the room was restored in such a way as to honor its original 1925 feel. The chancel rails were retrofitted to become removable, a mechanical lift was installed, and the choir loft restructured for improvement of both acoustics and function.

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KaBooM! by Mike Vietti

Have you ever wished your community had a great playground for children to play on but weren’t sure how to make it a reality? If so, national non-profit organization KaBOOM! can show you how. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,400 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America.

KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play,

which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network - a national network of individual advocates for play.

For more information on how to get started building a great playground, visit www.kaboom.org.

It’s time to remove tree bands by Kara Gooding

Congratulations Elizabeth Neighborhood! We conquered the cankerworm this year. Your banding efforts, along with the spraying program have saved our canopy from what was sure to be a devastating spring for our mature tree canopy. I hope everyone is getting out and appreciating all the healthy green leaves we have right now.

However, there is one last critical step: now is the time to take down the cankerworm bands. It is important that bands do not stay up longer than needed as they tend to hold moisture against the tree bark and if they stay up too long, can house insects and/or cause the bark to get infected or rot. Also, it’s important to pull out any staples that were

used in the installation process.So please take down any and all tree bands in your area now.

The city was to remove their bands the second and third weeks in May. However, they have many bands to remove across the city, so if a city tree was banded in your area or near your house, try to remove that band as soon as possible. If everyone does a little, no one person has to do a lot!

Thank you again for all your hard work. Anyone can see how wonderfully green our tree canopy is this year which helped make Elizabeth the “Best Neighborhood to Walk In” by Charlotte Magazine’s Best Of the Best awards.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about trees in Elizabeth. Kara Gooding [email protected]

elizabeth homes tour volunteers needed by Maya Packard

Please mark your calendars for the annual Elizabeth Homes Tour, October 11 and 12. This year, the tour features seven beautiful homes, along with Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Charlotte Garden Council’s historic 7th Street building. Area businesses will also get in on the act this year, offering specials and discounts throughout the weekend to ticket holders. We’ll need volunteers to staff

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the homes during the tour. If you can help, please send an email to [email protected]. This is one of our neighborhood’s largest fundraisers, and we need everyone’s help to make it happen.

CpCC’s wildlife habitat by Nancy Albert

Hidden away on Sam Rayburn Walk near Memorial Stadium is this small but lovely Wildlife Habitat. CPCC was able to

secure from the National Wildlife Federation a Certified National Wildlife Habitat designation for all of its campuses. Grants worth $2000, each allowed each campus to begin development of its own unique wildlife habitat. By definition the habitats must provide four essential elements to wildlife: food, water, cover, and place to raise young.

The college’s long-term goal is to provide ongoing educational opportunities in sustainable

landscape practices using native plants. These low-maintenance areas provide an example of wildlife habitats that can be created in anyone’s backyard. Students worked on Phase I of Campus Wildlife Habitat areas by preparing designated areas and planting vegetation to attract wildlife These ongoing projects will create a space on CPCC campuses for students and staff to enjoy nature. As part of recent Earth Day activities, students were also involved

in creek clean-ups, including work along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The aim of these projects is to beautify the county’s waterways and reduce water pollution.

toys and games by Cal Watford

I don’t know just how old I was, but probably around eight or nine. I got a chemistry set for Christmas. I really had lots of fun with it. I had a large desk in my room, and kept all the equipment set up nice and neat. The first mysterious compound I made was soap. It was only a small test tube full, and I’m not sure how cleansing it was, but it sure did make lots of suds. I wanted my mother to use it in her laundry, but she said she had better try it out on an old scrub cloth. It took some of the dirt out, but probably not as good as her regular soap did.

One day I put some sulfur in a small dish and set it on fire. What a stink it made. Mother came and opened all the windows in my room, and told me “please don’t do that again”. I think the book said it was suppose to kill all the germs in the air. I know it really smelled up the place.

Another one of my favorite toys was an Eerector Sset. It was a large set with all different sizes of metal parts that you could build many things with. It also had an electric motor, used to power things like a Ferris wheel

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or building crane. Lots of fun, and kept a young boy busy. I had that Erector Set for many years before giving it to one of my young cousins.

One toy I played with as a younger little boy was a bag of wooden blocks of various sizes. They were given to my by Uncle Jim, an old negro man who worked at a lumber yard close to our house. He picked them out of the scrap bin at the wood working shop next to the lumber yard.

I would take them down in the woods behind our house and play among the large exposed roots of the trees. The blocks would be different size trucks and cars. Some of the bigger ones would be used to build forts or small buildings. I still think that the best toys are those that make you use your imagination.

Baseball was always a popular sport with me and my friends. In the summertime we would go to the park at Elizabeth Grammar School. Usually we would go on Saturday afternoon, because on Saturday morning we would go to the picture show. Saturday would be a double feature day, with two shows for the price of one. The movie cost a dime, and a big box of popcorn was a nickel.

If we had enough players we would play ball until we tired of it. Next to the playground was a real ball park. It was

where the Charlotte Hornets practiced and I think played their regular games.

One day after we were through playing I went around the tall fence and walked over to watch them practice. I had my ball glove, and a new Pepper Martin autographed bat that I was so proud of. I walked over to the third base side of the field, and stood there watching them warming up, throwing the ball to each other and trying to stop “grounders” hit to them by a batsman. I was little, but wanted to be so big.

In a few minutes, the third baseman asked if he could see my bat. I was so pleased the he would want to do that. He asked me if I knew who Pepper Martin was. I said my daddy told me he was a real good ball player that played for a big team up north somewhere. He said, “That’s right”. You take good care of this bat. I told him I would.

I stood there watching him and then he took a small flat package out of his hip pocket. Unwrapping it, he asked if I wanted a “chaw “of tobacco. I had no idea what he was talking about but since he put a piece in his mouth, and he was a ball player, I said yes. It wasn’t very nice looking. It was black and sort of stringy. He broke me off a piece and I started chewing it.

It was strong and bitter tasting but since he was chewing his,

I tried to keep on chewing mine. In a minute, I swallowed some of the juice. I got so sick. I spit out the rest of it and went off a little ways and spit up. So sick. He came to check on me, and told me never to swallow the juice. I was supposed to spit it out. I was so sick. I never “chawed “tobacco again. I don’t think I told my parents about it. I didn’t want my mother to know I had done such a thing.

From time to time, I have thought about that ball player. I don’t know his name, but I wonder if he went on to play in the major league, and did he ever think about a little boy he gave a “chaw” of tobacco to one day long ago.

On the far side of our school play ground, (Elizabeth Grammar School) there was a very high dirt bank. I think there were tennis courts on the top of the hill. In the late summer, the grass on the bank would dry or die, and we would take cardboard boxes, open them flat and slide down the grassy hill like sleds on snow. You could really go fast, and it was lots of fun. I wonder if children do that today, or would they even be allowed?

Know anything about all the named apartments in Elizabeth? If you have a story about this, send it to Nancy Albert at [email protected] ph

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Fix the problem, fix your cat by Amy Rogers

June is Adopt-a-Cat Month, and summer can be the perfect time to add a feline friend to your family. But adoption is not enough to alleviate the ongoing problem of cat overpopulation. In fact, one pair of cats and their offspring can produce 67 cats in two years. In just four years, the number grows to

2,107 and continues to climb astronomically.

There’s good news, however. Spaying and neutering greatly reduces overpopulation – and eliminates many undesirable behaviors, too. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control is offering a FREE spay-neuter clinic for pet cats on June 14. Download an application at cmpd.org; preference is given to low-income residents.

Spaying and neutering pets is only part of the solution. Stray and feral cats are a big part of the overpopulation problem – and it’s a problem that won’t resolve itself. Humane management solutions are available and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Every cat we spay and neuter truly helps “Fix the Problem.”

For more info, visit www.feralcat.com, www.alleycat.org,

www.friendsofferalfelines.org or call 311 for Char-Meck Animal Care and Control.

Amy Rogers is a freelance writer and a seven-year resident of Elizabeth.

e.C.a. membership form 2008www.elizabethcommunity.com

Annual membership fee: $20 per household or business, based on calendar year. Please mail this form and your payment to:

elizabeth Community association po Box 33696, Charlotte, NC 28233-3696

name(s) of adult(s) in household

street address

mailing address if different from above

main phone

e-mail address

name(s( and birthday(s) of children at home

please use my e-mail for oNlY the following:

m crime watch m social/events m newsletter m do not e-mail

please sign me up for the following committee(s):

m traffic m zoning m website and/or newsletter

m crime watch m block captain m beautification/tree banding

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m Easter egg hunt m progressive dinner m holiday party

m Big E road race m homes tour m any

m I’m interested in becoming a board member; please contact me.

special projects (list interests/expertise):

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14 the BusINess seCtIoN the BusINess seCtIoN 15

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Documents

charlotte planning department

street corridor charrette

disciplines of planning

charlotte community

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