Top

General Election is November 6

(10/17/2001) On November 6, Charlotte will have elections for mayor and city council. Mecklenburg County voters will select Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board district representatives.

Polls are open from 6:30 am to 7:30 p.m.

See the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections web site for lists of candidates and information on voter registration, polling places, and and other items of interest.

All residents of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are encouraged to vote on November 6. YOU have the power to decide who runs your local government.

Mecklenburg County Board of Elections

Top

Steele Creek is "Active Development Area"

(6/3/2001) In an article in the Charlotte Observer on June 1, Doug Smith reported that another townhouse development is coming to the area. This one is called Savannah Townhomes. It will have 218 units and is located on South Tryon Street about a half-mile south of the Carowinds Boulevard intersection.

This is only one of the many developments of single-family and townhouse units popping up in the area almost daily, and the following quotes from Smith's article explain why.

"Southwest Mecklenburg, one of the Charlotte area's biggest industrial and office employment centers, is becoming a magnet for residential development as well."

"Developers have started Savannah Townhomes, a 218-unit project that targets people working in office parks and warehouses clustered" in southwest Mecklenburg.

"'That's definitely what attracted us: there are a lot of jobs and a lot of people who can afford to buy our townhomes,' said David Nance...who is spearheading the project..."

"Southwest Mecklenburg has emerged over the past few years as one of the county's most active development areas. Water and sewer lines are being extended to the area, and road improvements are making it more accessable."

"Developers say lower land costs make vacant tracts in southwest Mecklenburg attractive to home builders operating in the county's most active sales price range for houses and condos: $100,000 to $139,000."

"Steele Creek residents are likely to see even more development as the outerbelt is completed between Interstates 85 and 77 by mid-2003."

Top

Steele Creek Area has Long History

(6/3/2001) The following is taken from the Bingham Family web site. See the link to the right.

"The earliest settlements of Mecklenburg County centered around seven Presbyterian churches. Steele Creek Presbyterian was among the earliest and is generally believed to have been organized about 1760. Steele Creek Presbyterian Church and its cemetery served as a focal point for all the settlers of western Mecklenburg County. Most of the early settlers obtained land grants described by their locations along rivers, streams, and creeks. Steele Creek flows in a southerly direction west of Steele Creek Church and was probably named for Robert Steele who operated in the area as an indian trader as early as 1751. The Steele Creek section of Mecklenburg County was generally bordered on the west by the Catawba River, on the east by the present Nations Ford Road, on the south by the Catawba Indian Nation, and the north by the road leading to Beattie's Ford."

Many historical records for the Steel Creek area come from the local Presbyterian churches, including Steele Creek, Central Steele Creek, and Pleasant Hill. The Bingham Family site includes Cemetery listings for the Steele Creek Presbyterian Church.

The Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society's site has a wealth of information about the history of the area, including information on communities, schools, churches, post offices, and more. See their link to the right above.

Top

Completion of Highway 49 Widening Projects Behind Schedule

(5/6/2001) According to the Charlotte Observer, three NC Highway 49 widening projects are behind schedule.

The new five lane section from Tyvola Road to Arrowood Road was scheduled for completion in July 2001, but will open at least a month late.

Widening from I-485 to Moss Road (at the entrance to the Crossings) is slightly behind schedule but completion in late 2002 is still expected.

Construction of the final section from Moss Road to Buster Boyd Bridge was scheduled to start in June, but this has been delayed until October. It was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2003, and the Observer says commpletion of the entire Highway 49 widening project is still expected by late 2003.

The new, widened Buster Boyd Bridge was scheduled for completion in November 2001, but will not open before early summer 2002.

Top

Airport Wants Controls on Residential Development

(3/4/2001) The Charlotte Observer has reported that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission has agreed to work with the Charlotte-Douglas Airport officials to limit new residential development within airport noise zones. The airport has been insulating nearby homes for noise or buying owners out for years, and officials wish to avoid future noise complaints that would result from addidtional residential development. More residential development might also hinder future airport expansion.

If zoning changes occur, the area north of Griers Fork towards the airport would see less residential development and more commercial or industrial projects that would benefit from having the airport conveniently accessable and are not as adversely affected by the noise as residents are.

Griers Fork residents routinely see and hear airplanes pass over, but Griers Fork is south of the area that experiences particularly loud noise. However, several new developments are under construction along Sandy Porter Road and Shopton Road that are within noise contours.

Top

New Development at Steele Creek Road Planned

(3/4/2001) The Charlotte Observer reported on March 1 that a 965-acre development containing houses, offices, shops, and green space is planned for a site west of I-485 and Steele Creek Road and north of Shopton Road West. The development would straddle Dixie River Road and extend west almost to Lake Wylie.

The yet-unnamed project includes a town center bisected by a planned relocation of Steele Creek Road. The development would have 170 acres devoted to offices, a business park, and town center shops, service businesses, and restaurants. It is described as being similar to Ballentyne in south Mecklenburg, which has the relocated U.S. 521 running through its town center and offices, houses, shops, and restaurants on either side of the highway.

A 215-acre district park at the northern end is one of the first elements slated for development.

The developer, Pappas Properties, has submitted a rezoning application to allow construction of at least 700 single-family and multi-family residences on roughly 480 acres. They would be in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with open space connecting them to the district park. Prices are characterized as moderate to intermediate.

Initial residential development would be coordinated with the extension of sewer to the property in 2002. Town center construction would begin in 2004 or 2005, after the opening of I-485 in 2003. All development should be completed by 2010.

Top

Hwy 49 Widening to be Completed in 2003

(2/21/2001) Representatives of the North Carolina Department of Transportation gave an update on plans for widening Highway 49 (South Tryon Street) from Tyvola Road south to the Buster Boyd Bridge at Lake Wylie at the annual meeting of the Steele Creek Residents Association at Olympic High School on February 20.

The new five lane section from Tyvola Road to Arrowood Road should be complete and open in July 2001.

Widening from I-485 to Moss Road (at the entrance to the Crossings) should begin soon and be completed in late 2002.

Construction of the final section from Moss Road to Buster Boyd Bridge should start in June and be completed by the end of 2003.

The new, widened Buster Boyd Bridge should be completed in November 2001.

Other road news included:

Steele Creek Road (Highway 160) will be squared of at Highway 49 so the roads will meet at 90 degrees.

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) lists highway projects projected over the next seven years. No widening or other improvements to Steele Creek Road are planned (other than at the new I-485 interchange).

The planned completion date for I-485 from Arrowood Road to I-85 is December 2003. (The eastern leg of I-485 should be open in July 2003, so the outer belt should be open form I-85 west of Charlotte all the way around southern Mecklenburg County to I-85 northeast of Charlotte in December 2003.)

A new stop light is planned on Highway 49 at Beam Road. This is the only new stop light planned north of the Steele Creek Road intersection.

Top

New Steele Creek Library Update

(2/21/2001) Rich Rosenthal of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library gave an update on plans for the new Steele Creek Library Branch at the annual meeting of the Steele Creek Residents Association at Olympic High School on February 20.

A site has been selected on Steele Creek Road (Highway 160) just north of Highway 49. The 5-acre site is adjacent to the Harris-Teeter shopping center and has a 500 foot frontage along Steele Creek Road. Behind the proposed library site is a planned 40-acre site for a new southwest middle school that is expected to open in August 2003. The library and school are expected to share driveways, parking, utilities, and other infrastructure.

The library will have 15,000 square feet, which is almost four times the size of the current library at the Steel Creek Commons Shopping Center.

General Schedule is as follows:

Approval for purchase of site by the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners--March 2001.

Design--6 months

Bidding--2 months

Construction--12 months

Uplift (setting up furnishings, shelves, books, etc.)--2 months

The new library should be open in November or December 2002.

Residents will be able to attend public meetings to view and comment on plans.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation also is looking at using the school ball fields for a community park.

The library site is the location of the former Knox family house and dairy farm.

Top

New Business Park Set for Shopton Road

(1/29/2001) The Charlotte Observer reported today that AAC Real Estate Services plans a 170 acre, 2 million square foot business park on the southwest corner of Shopton Road and Sandy Porter Road. It will contain mainly warehouse and distribution buildings, and development will take place over the next seven to ten years. The site was selected because if its proximity to the future I-485/Steele Creek Road interchange and the Charlotte-Douglas Airport.

AAC also is the developer of Whitehall Technical Park (along Whitehall Park Drive west of I-485) and Whitehall Corporate Center (along Arrowood Road east of I-485). These are part of the greater Whitehall development, which covers 700 acres and includes Whitehall Commons shopping center.

Whitehall Corporate Center will have 11 buildings and 1.5 million square feet of office space, which is .4 million square feet more than the Bank of America Building. It will be one of Mecklenburg County's largest contiguous office developments. Completion is expected in six to nine years.

The Whitehall development preserves two lakes, Johnston Lake and Moody Lake, and contains the 45 acre Whitehall Nature Preserve, which is owned by the Catawba Lands Conservancy.

Whitehall is a former horse farm where trotters were raised in the 1940s.

Top

City Approves Ayrsley Development at I-485

(1/18/2001) On January 15, the Charlotte City Council unanimously approved zoning changes that will allow the "new urbanism" Ayrsley development to proceed at the southeast corner of I-485 and South Tryon Street. See below for more information on this innovative project.

Top

New Steele Creek Branch Library Planned

(12/28/2000) The Mecklenburg County Library Board has chosen a site for a new Steele Creek Branch Library. The 3-acre site is on the campus of a new southwest middle school to be built on Steele Creek Road (NC Hwy 160) near York Road (NC Hwy 49). The site will accomodate a 15,000 square feet building with room for expansion.

The site still must be approved by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Design and construction will last about one and a half years. The new library will replace the current small branch at Steele Commons shopping center near the Food Lion.

The branch was included in a $34.2 million library bond passed by voters last year.

Top

"Urban Village" Planned at I-485

(12/26/2000) A 129 acre mixed use development called Ayrsley is planned in an area south of I-485 and east of South Tryon Street, stretching all the way to Westinghouse Boulevard. It will be located behind businesses and other buildings along South Tryon Street, including the Hardees, the Fire Station and the Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church.

The development is expected to include 1.2 million square feet of office space (about the same as the Bank of America building), 2 hotels, 277,000 square feet of retail space (about twice as much as Phillips Place), a 16-screen movie theater complex, and 1,605 residences.

Ayrsley will follow a smart growth or urban village concept, with apartments above stores and offices next to restaurants, rather than the traditional practice of segregating offices, shopping, and residences. The pedestrian friendly development will include small parks, a town center, and a greenway to encourage getting around by foot rather than cars. Residences will be townhouses, lofts, and low-rise apartments. Development will be more compact than most current development that encourages sprawl and traffic.

A zoning change must be approved by the Charlotte City Council before construction can begin. Construction could begin in the spring and take three to four years.

Top