Living in the Neighborhood

Neighborhood Covenant on Website

All owners should have been given a copy of the Covenant at the time of closing. Copies have always been available from Abbott Enterprises, Inc. at a cost of $35.00 ($15 handling fee to Abbott and $20 copy fee to the Association).

But Did you know? A more economical way of keeping up-to-date with the Covenant and neighborhood Governing Documents is to visit the website (www.stalbanssq.org) and click on “Documents/Forms.” We owe a great deal of thanks to Steve Lee, our webmaster, for his efforts in making this happen.

The Covenant Committee meets on the first Wednesday of the month. If you have input, please contact Shannon McLean (smclean@bellsouth.net or 704.895.9117), Chairperson for the committee, or Sam Coleman (scoleman2@adelphia.net or 704.896.8177), Council of Stewards representative on the committee.

Yard of the Month Winner – May, 2007

The Landscape & Grounds Committee congratulates Anthony and Frances Walley of 613 Wolfe Street as the May 2007 winner of the “Yard-of-the-Month.” This is our first 2007 winner and it is a repeat (previous - July 2006). However, the committee wanted to present a good example for the new season and, as always, this yard is a showcase of color, texture, and plant selection. It has been encouraging to the committee to see the extra work put into all yards this year and more stand-out winners are expected.

Each month from May through October, a yard will be selected among single-family homes. The criteria for selection are established by the Selection Committee. The total exterior appearance of the yard, including the planting strip by the street, should be one of neatness and visually appealing as evidenced by:

• Mowed and edged lawns.
• Well defined planting beds that are mulched and weed-free.
• Pruned shrubs and trees.
• Effective use of seasonal color through plantings of annuals and/or perennials.
• Plantings in scale to size of yard.
• No trash, junk, or dead plant/grass material.

If you have questions or suggestions regarding this plan, please call Donna Howell at 704.987.0363.

The Star of Excellence returns!
Congratulations to the Walley Family!

Message from Market Properties, Inc.

In mid-April, Market Properties, Inc., the first workplace tenant in 2003 on St. Alban’s Lane, moved to a new location at 310 South Main Street in Davidson. Market Properties and Celeste Colcord, Principal Broker, have supported the neighborhood from the beginning with their agency and with free Notary service, including contributions for SPINN events. They enjoyed New Neighborhood and wanted to send the following message to many good friends:

Dear Neighbors,

Market Properties, Inc. has had a remarkable success as a small business that was started in The New Neighborhood in Old Davidson. Three of us set up shop in 2003 and began a real estate business that has been enjoyable and productive. We’ve helped many neighbors with real estate purchases, sales, and a few hundred notarized documents. The neighbors have helped us by watching over our agents as they come and go through the night and by helping us with icy sidewalks, broken tables, and interesting deliveries. We now have 10 people working at Market Properties and we have outgrown our wonderful space on St. Alban’s Lane. With regret we are moving to a cute house at 310 South Main Street in Davidson. This house was once owned by Eugenia and Rock Deaton, so it has great karma! It’s in between the Davidson United Methodist Chapel and the Wachovia Drive-Thru.

We hope you will visit us in the new digs! We have some great paint colors, and the space is quite charming. The free notary offer still stands. We will still see you a lot since three of our agents live in the neighborhood, and we have listings and management properties here. Also, Celeste and her husband are buying a townhouse soon!

Thanks again. We will miss you!

The Brokers and Staff of Market Properties, Inc.

PS. A special thanks to Norm Reid, our special friend and protector over the years. We are buying you a rocking chair for our new front porch!

New Neighborhood wishes the best to Market Properties in their new location and wants to thank Celeste Colcord for her generous offer to continue free Notary service to residents of the neighborhood. Market Properties cordially invites New Neighborhood to the Grand Opening of their new offices on Thursday, May 24 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Please drop in and see them.

Let’s give a warm welcome to our new workplace tenant at 122-B St. Alban’s Lane. Tim Dreffer will be moving into the unit with his company, MyLogistics.

Welcome to New Neighborhood, Tim!

"Civics 101" — Some Personal Thoughts

At the Neighborhood Discussion Group in February, Kris Krider, Davidson Planning Director, presented an “Update on Planning & Development in Davidson.” It was obvious from the discussion, that opinions were widely varied, particularly in light of what is happening at Exit 30 off I-77. In general, feelings were negative and there was quite a lot of NIMBY (“Not in My Back Yard”) expressed. The following article was written by one of our neighbors who, along with several other residents, participated in “Civics 101,” a six-week class sponsored by town government. It is one person’s opinion of key points covered in the class, but it reveals a positive and realistic spin on development in our area:

• “You can’t stop property owners from developing their property (the property owners at Exit 30, for example), but you can manage the development process.”  Stated differently, the town planning department doesn’t cause growth; rather, the planning department tries to stay ahead of growth.
• The town manages development by way of an ordinance, in place since 2001, that reflects eight general principles:
  1. We must preserve Davidson’s status as a small town.
  2. We must preserve and enhance Davidson’s unique downtown (example: our CVS).
  3. Growth must be sustainable (not totally dependent on the private passenger automobile).
  4. We must preserve substantial amounts of open space (FYI, there are plans for a greenway path connecting our neighborhood to Fisher Farm Park).
  5. We must re-establish our historic diversity of people (mixture of housing types and prices).  Not that long ago, Davidson was a mill town with a more diverse population. Now, we hope for town employees (for example, a police officer with a starting salary of $31,000) to have an opportunity to live in the town that they serve.  12.5% affordable housing is required as part of every new development.
  6. Development must proceed no faster than the town can provide public facilities (which is the reason for the town’s Adequate Public Facilities ordinance).
  7. In Davidson, we rely on a unique combination of private property rights and the health of the community as a whole (there is always likely to be a tension between the interests of developers and the interests of the town as a whole).
  8. Architecture and planning can either enhance or deteriorate from the quality of life.
• These development principles were the product of a process that took place over several years and involved a lot of work by a lot of people. I’ve heard it said that the development process in Davidson is controlled by just a few people, but from what I can tell, the process is driven by the ordinance, and the ordinance was a community-wide effort.
• There is apprehension about a boom in residential development just north of town in Iredell County. Davidson town government is working with Mooresville government in an effort to stay ahead of events.
• Town employees try to be careful with your money.  The tax base is 83% residential and 17% commercial; a 40%/60% split would be nice, and there are efforts underway to attract commercial development, but the trend in the direction of more residential development could send the ratio in the other direction.
• By all indications, the people who work for town government love what they do and appreciate the commitment of the Mayor and Board of Commissioners to managing the development process.
• Town government wants good two-way communication with town residents and is open to new ideas for improving the two-way communication process.

Mike Kota, Informed Resident
112 Caldwell Avenue

Have an interesting story or informative article you would like to write? Let me know. I am always interested in making this newsletter your newsletter. Please contact Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 or e-mail at davidbsmith@bellsouth.net.

Newsletter Delivery Volunteers

Many thanks are due our newsletter delivery team. April volunteers included Adria & Woody Appleby, Barbara Doster, Sherman Kahn, Norm Reid, Dave Smith, Norma Stewart, and John & Marcia Williamson.

If you wish to volunteer, please call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 (e-mail at davidbsmith@bellsouth.net).