Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

MONA Update 8/29/2005

Rezoning, coming events, etc.

Upcoming events and reminders for Merry Oaks
Saturday, August 27, 9 am to 6 pm. Grady Cole Center, Memorial Stadium. Health Carousel of the Carolinas will provide free health screenings including mammograms, blood pressure checks, diabetes checks, HIV, sickle cell, Cholesterol and more. There will be a living will seminar at 11 am. Info: 704 531 8838
Sunday, August 28 at Cate’s Ice Cream Social. 5-7 pm at Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association President Cate Martin’s home, 2301 Arnold Drive. Look for the Pink Flamingo in the front yard. This is Cate’s treat, so just bring yourself and meet some neighbors.

Put on your calendar:

Wednesday, Sept 14. Charlotte East Community Partners is planning a General Membership meeting. If you want to get involved in this organization which works for a better east Charlotte, call Susan at 704 537-2269 for details.

Saturday October 8 MONA DAY. 8 am Neighborhood Yard Sale, 6 pm block party. Call Cate 704 535 3501

Thursday October 20 General Meeting 7-9 PM

Saturday October 23 1-5 pm Creek Walk. For details call Jasper 704-537-9765, or jparham304@carolina.rr.com.

Please note
If you shop- at Harris Teeter and use a VIC card, Harris Teeter will donate money to the school of your choice when you shop if you just take a minute to link your card. You can do this online www.Harristeeter.com or at the store. Merry Oaks Elementary School’s TIE number is #1927.


Glass clippings Please be aware that it is against city code to blow grass clippings into the street or storm drains. This clogs the storm drains and pollutes the creeks. Please do NOT leave grass clippings on the sidewalk. Please bag grass clippings or rake them into a natural area.


Central at Briar Creek Rezoning
The development group Central Briar Creek, LLC has deferred the petition to rezone the property that is currently owned by the Plummer Family at Central Avenue and Briar Creek. The project has been delayed because one member of the development group, Tuscan Properties, now has an option on the Renfrow property across the street. Both parcels are currently zoned residential (R-22), which would allow over 250 condos, town homes or apartments on the site. The rezoning petition is for a change to Neighborhood Services, which would allow a mix of residential and commercial.
The eight-acre Renfrow property is known for the landmark brick home that has stood vacant for a number of years overlooking the intersection of Central and Briar Creek. Central Briar Creek, LLC had previously announced plans to develop the approximately five-acre Plummer property on the south side of Central Avenue which includes a two story white frame house and a brick ranch that formerly housed a daycare center facing Central Avenue, along with two other brick homes facing Briar Creek Rd.
The deferral of this zoning petition means that City Council will make their decision on this zoning change after the 2005 election. A public hearing with the City Council has been scheduled for Monday, January 16, 2006, at 6 PM.
Details on this rezoning case can be found at www.ReZoning.org under Petition Number 2005-133.
At an August 5 meeting with neighbors and the developers, neighbors commented that the twelve-plus acre project on both sides of Central Avenue promises to define more than just this important intersection. It will likely be the largest single project that has been developed in decades along Central Avenue inside of Eastway Drive.
Neighbors voiced concerns about anything short of the best quality project that promises to add momentum to the Central Avenue resurgence that has been happening closer to the center city.
Several at the meeting also stressed that the area being rezoned is surrounded on all sides by residential development, and that any proposal must give weight towards preventing noise, crime, odor or other problems for the adjoining residential parcels.
Neighbors are advocating for the developers to heavily weight the project towards a residential use that would add riders to the planned Central Avenue streetcar and generate shoppers who could ride transit into the newly formed PED zoning district in the core of the Plaza-Central Business District. They also pointed out that condominiums, town homes or other residential uses would cause fewer problems for neighbors than businesses such as late night businesses, bars, noisy restaurants, establishments with amplified sound or businesses that generate odors.
"If they get this right, it can be huge for the Central Avenue corridor," said one neighbor. "On the other hand, bad decisions could also have very big consequences too."






The shootings in the neighborhood on Friday, August 5
From Officer Craig Varnum, Community Coordinator, Eastway Division:

Many of you have expressed concern and have questions about the shooting incident that took place on the afternoon of Friday, August 5th at Central and Arnold. Here are the facts of the incident:
Our office (Eastway Division) was contacted by US Customs Agents to assist them with an operation. The Customs guys had an informant that owed a large amount of money to some individuals that appear to be a part of an Asian gang. The agents had the informant set up a meeting with those individuals, at which the informant was to pay the subjects a portion of the money he owed. The informant was advised by the subjects to meet them at a restaurant near Central and Arnold. When the informant arrived at the restaurant, several people came from behind the business with weapons and began shooting at the informant. Then the group that the informant was to meet began shooting back at the other subjects. Fortunately, only property was damaged and no one was injured during the exchange. Two suspects were arrested and are currently in Federal custody. The investigation is ongoing.
The good news is that none of the subjects involved appear to be from the local area. Several individuals involved where from New York and others were from the Raleigh area. They simply and unfortunately choose that location as a meeting place. The investigation has not indicated any connection to the area nor any reason to believe that there might be a future incident in the area.
Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have.

Officer Craig E. Varnum
Community Coordinator, Eastway Division
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Office: 704-336-8535
Voice Mail: 704-432-3441, Ext. 4
cvarnum@cmpd.org