ECA 2-09

2 the people pages the people pages

Nancy albertnewsletter704 719 1255 [email protected]

Russell Crandalltraffic704 894 2283 [email protected]

Freda Zehmembership704 333 3127 [email protected]

Kara goodingcankerworm/trees704 604 5660 [email protected]

Beth haennisocial704 332 7992 [email protected]

Dana Ingecrime704 968 3234 [email protected]

Deborah Johnsonmembership704 353 1179 [email protected]

terry lettblock captain/advertising704 377 0052 [email protected]

amanda loftusrace704 608 9089 [email protected]

linda NashHENF/block captain704 332 9808 [email protected]

Matt NurkinECA president704 617 8610 [email protected]

Maya packardsocial704 334 2196 [email protected]

Ruffin Pearcevice president704 331 4989 [email protected]

susan plotttreasurer704 575 2259 [email protected]

todd Rubensonsecretary704 386 4401 [email protected]

Melanie sizemorezoning704 335 0909 [email protected]

peter tartzoning704 372 4147 [email protected]

Roxie townszoning/beautification704 342 1000

amy Williamssocial704 491 8240 [email protected]

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tThe first duty of a human being is to assume the right functional relationship to society – more briefly, to find your real job, and do it.

– Charlotte Perkins Gilman

J o I N t h e e C a

the people pages the people pages 3

2009 elizabeth 8K a great success by Amanda Loftus

Elizabeth residents should be proud to have hosted the Elizabeth 8K and to be a part of its success! The 23rd annual event took place on Saturday, March 28. Despite unfavorable weather forecasts we experienced a record turnout of 710 participants and increased our registration by nearly 40% over 2008. More than $7,600 was raised and will be used for tree planting and beautification of the common areas of Elizabeth.

Boriana Bakaltcheva was the overall women’s winner in 32:43 and Mike Mitchell took the men’s title with a winning time of 27:17. Participants ranged in ages from four to 86 years old, and some came from as far away as Texas and New York. As usual the race had a festive spirit and post-race music, refreshments, and even Elvis were there to add to the atmosphere.

A special group of people deserve a big thank you from the community for their months of dedication and planning. Cheryl Brown, Michelle Dagenhart, Loré Hunsicker, Jen Hurd, Linda Nash, Tom Patch, Devitt Rogers, and Emily Zarbatany all played a tremendous role in bringing the race together. We also want to recognize Ken Magas for lending his creative genius to the race logo, brochure and signs.

In addition to the planning committee, a team of more than 70 volunteers were on hand on race day to ensure a fantastic experience for the runners and walkers, and we are very grateful for their contribution.

Finally, the event would not be possible without the support of our area businesses. Despite the difficult economic climate, we were able to secure nearly $10,000 in sponsorship revenue and the value of donated goods and services. We encourage you to in turn lend your

support to these businesses to show your gratitude for how they have benefitted our neighborhood. Our 2009 partners include:Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital,

deadline for fall 09:

August 15theditorial content: [email protected]

advertising: [email protected] page ad size: 6.53” x 7.53” (1306 x 1506 pixels)

half page ad size: 6.53” x 3.715” (1306 x 743 pixels)

quarter page ad size: 3.205” x 3.715” (641 x 743 pixels)

biz card ad size: 3.205” x 1.8065” (641 x 361 pixels)

classified ad 1 column wide, 4 lines deep with 1 line bold, 3 regular

specs: full size b&w jpeg or pdf, 200 dpi, NO WORD DOCS! to [email protected]

Ad placement is at the designer’s discretion.


Hawthorne’s, Common House, Crisp, Law Offices of Annemarie Pantazis, Elizabeth Square, Launch Your Kid, Ken Magas Designs, Sub Station II, Nothing But Noodles, Common Market, Charlotte Rolfing, NoFo, Pro Fit Rehab, Nova’s Bakery, Pasta & Provisions, HM Properties/Emily Zarbatany, Nolia, 1900 Mexican Grill & Tequila Bar, Customshop, Carpe Diem, Elizabeth Creamery, Loft 1523, Yoga One, Fennebresque & Co., Dick’s Sporting Goods, Asana Activewear, Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Starbucks, Harris Teeter, Smoothie King, and Snoop’s Grill.

Planning for the 2010 race is already under way, and your help is always welcome. If you want to be a part of the planning committee, volunteer on race day, or lend your business support as a sponsor, please contact Amanda Loftus at 704.608.9089 or [email protected].

time to remove tree bands by Kara Gooding

Thanks Again to everyone who banded their trees this year. The canopy in Elizabeth looks fantastic! Very few cankerworms have been spotted in our neighborhood and in surrounding neighborhoods. The spraying combined with banding seems to be keeping the cankerworm population low for the time being.

The wet weather this spring and the low cankerworm infestation is a welcome respite our trees needed after many seasons of drought and high cankerworm counts.

Please do remove your bands. The bands can hold water and other types of bugs up against the tree bark, causing it to rot if on too long. The city should be removing their bands in the coming weeks.

[email protected]

Mulch your trees by Kris Solow

A tree with a properly prepared mulched bed provides a safe and nutritious growing environment. Mulch, when placed on the soil in the bed, maintains soil moisture by reducing evaporation so watering is minimized, improves soil condition by providing organic matter, and shades and cools the soil similar to forest surfaces. Mulch will reduce the germination and growth of weeds, improve the structure of the soil and give the landscape a well manicured appearance which will improve street appeal and home value.

Mulch keeps grass and other plants from growing under and competing with the tree for water and nutrients. It keeps soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It also reduces compaction to the soil. Compaction impedes food from getting to the tree since a tree’s

feeder roots are 6-12 inches from the surface, and reduces oxygen getting to the soil.

To make a bed, you will first need to draw an outline around the tree perimeter. With a can of spray paint, measure out 3 feet at various intervals from the trunk of a newly planted tree, and spray a dot. Continue doing this all around the tree. Scale the bed to the tree’s size, and the larger the bed the better. Now, connect the dots to form a continuous circle. This is the line on which you will place your straight edge shovel and angle in toward the tree 45 degrees. Dig down about 2 inches, shovel the dirt into the bed, chop it up a bit, or recycle with yard waste. You will not harm the tree with shallow digging. Be careful digging around older trees. They have larger roots and you want to be careful not to dig through these roots but to bypass them. Any grass can either be pulled or skimmed off, or you can lay the mulch right on top of the grass. It is not necessary to use harmful pesticides to kill the grass.

Once you have created the bed line and removed the grass or whatever else was growing in this area, smooth it out with a rake to remove any lumps or rocks and to fill in any low spots.

On newly planted or trees younger than 3 years, create a watering ring: build up a rim of soil around the outer edge of


the root ball of the tree to catch water. Now it’s time to mulch.

Choose mulch that is fairly coarse in texture and woody, like wood chips (if on a flat terrain) or ground bark such as hardwood mulch (which is best and for slight embankments) for a tree bed. Just as mulching is good for a tree, too much mulch, the wrong mulch, or improperly laid mulch is not good for a tree. Properly laid mulch must NEVER go up a tree’s trunk, which will provide an environment for insects to attack the bark. When the bark is attacked and eaten, it will rot an area around the tree’s

bark cutting off the tree’s food supply which travels up the bark. Mulch is laid 2-4 inches in depth and tapered just TO the trunk.

Mulch helps with tree maintenance, eliminates the need to mow, and greatly reduces damage from weed trimmers and lawn mowers which run over roots and hit the bark causing wounds and rot. It neatly defines the grass and tree areas. So, mulch your trees for a neat and attractive look while extending the life of your trees. You’ll both be glad you did!

elizabeth Recycles Day a success by Craig Miller

Elizabeth’s first ever Elizabeth Recycles Day, held on April 18th in Independence Park, brought out several dozen residents hauling everything from paint cans to old TVs. The goal of the event was to make it easier for Elizabeth residents to recycle items that aren’t picked up in municipal recycling bins, thus keeping those items from being thrown out or piling up at our homes. Based on the sheer volume of items collected and recycled, the event was a big success. Here’s an estimated

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rundown of what was collected:

350 containers of household hazardous waste - paint cans, pesticides, cleaners, solvents, etc. (enough to fill two large pickup trucks!)

85 lbs of batteries

150 hangers

One heaping pickup truck load of electronic equipment including TVs, computers, printers, DVD players, etc.

Fifteen compact fluorescent lights

One dozen cell phones

One dozen eyeglasses

10 ink cartridges

150 hard plastic bottle caps

4 blankets

50 lbs of arts and crafts materials including fabric, magazines, etc.

What made the event even more special was that many of the items will be reused. Cell phones were donated to the Cell Phones for Soldiers program. Eyeglasses were donated to the Lion’s Club eyeglass program. Hangers were given to 2001 Cleaners right in our own neighborhood. Blankets were donated to an animal rescue program and all arts and crafts supplies were given to a public school art teacher.

Many residents commented about what a great idea the event was and asked when the next one will be. Based on the comments and the success of the event, definitely look for this to be an annual event. Also, talk of a neighborhood Green Team to tackle more projects like this has been buzzing around, so be on the lookout for more information toward that effort.

Many thanks to the volunteers who helped out at the event on April 18th!

tai Chi: a walking meditation to improve balance & reduce pain by Frances D’Amato

Independence Park in Elizabeth is the perfect place to practice the art of Tai Chi and there are a few residents that agree with me. We gather together at 7:30 in the morning or 5:30 in the

evening at what once was the water fountain, take a stroll on the path, and then return to the circle to do our ancient Chinese martial art.

The moves are slow and deliberate and engage our whole body as well as our mind. The deep breathing helps calm our stress-filled bodies and after a few times through the routine we begin to feel lighter, more open and relaxed.

I began my quest to learn Tai Chi on a trip to China in 1981. I would watch Chinese people of all ages gather in the park or on any open grassy space and begin the ancient ritual. After watching from my window my first few days I had the courage to ask our guide if I could join the group outside our hotel the next morning.

He had to ask the authorities and did come back with permission as long as he did it with me. I was actually glad to have him with me. He gave me a few pointers in the afternoon and I was ready early the next morning to begin.

We joined the group in the park across the road from our hotel. Some people were concentrating and didn’t seem to notice as we found a space near the edge of the group. Others smiled a welcome and made room for us. The Chinese method of learning Tai Chi was to watch and follow. So I did watch, as they appeared to go through about 73 moves.

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They stretched and began the process again and my guide and I started. I soon realized how awkward I felt: my hands and feet were not in the flow. I just let the fear pass and did what I could. I was in China for a month and did Tai Chi every morning from then on.

Back home in NY, I found a Tai Chi master and began my study in earnest. In 2002, the

Arthritis Foundation offered a certification training program in Tai Chi, which I did. After moving to Charlotte, I began teaching Tai Chi in my aquatic class at Dowd, one move at a time until we learned it, then another and another. Doing any of the moves daily for 15 minutes is beneficial: the promise that Tai Chi improves concentration, memory, balance, coordination, muscle strength, stamina, posture, biomechanics were evident in all the class members and myself. So if you want to join us for Tai Chi in the park, please give me a call. 704 379 7923.

Mint Museum needs docents by Allison Taylor Adult Programs Coordinator

The Mint Museum is looking for volunteers for next docent class which starts Monday, August 17. The education department

of The Mint Museums offers tours to area elementary and secondary school students as well as to other groups ranging from pre-school children to senior citizens. The docents are a vital part of this effort.

Mint docents are known for their excellence. Their enthusiasm for art and their interest in visitors endow the museums with spirit and warmth. Docents are people who have:

- the ability to communicate effectively with a group

- an education, background, or strong interest in art

- a warm and friendly attitude

Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with any questions.

704.337.2032

[email protected]

grilling season by Nikki Sawyer Moore

When my normally kitchen-phobic husband rises from the couch and ventures into the kitchen, I know that warmer temperatures have arrived. While he is a voracious eater, the actual process of cooking leaves him quivering with anxiety. It ranks right up there with vacuuming as one of his most hated activities. But something changes around this time of year. It’s almost chemical in nature. A piece of his genetic “man-code” lights up with the recognition that

beer drinking can now occur with large pieces of meat over fire in the great outdoors. He actually offers to cook dinner. I, on the other hand, love the kitchen and spend most of my time there. Yet I too welcome summer and the start of grilling season for the opportunity to cook simply and be outside.

Whatever your reasons for grilling, it’s a fun and easy way of cooking that yields tasty results. Grilling goes beyond dogs and burgers: fruits, vegetables, and breads are delicious grilled, and options for marinades and rubs are limitless. So what do you need to know to become the Grill Master of Elizabeth? Here are five helpful hints for taking your grilling skills to the next level.

Keep it clean. Always cook on a clean grill. Dirty grills can transfer char to your food, affecting taste and appearance.

A dirty grill will also make your food stick, resulting in frustration for the cook and a raggedy final product.

Work it 10 to 2. Envision a clock on your grill. Place your product, presentation side down, at an angle pointed at what would be the 10 on a


clock. Let the product cook for 2-3 minutes and then, keeping the presentation side down, rotate the product so that it now points in the direction of the 2. Allow the product to cook for a few more minutes and then flip it over to the other side. The result will be appetizing grill marks in a crosshatch pattern.

show patience. Don’t rush. If your grill is clean, your meat will naturally release from the grates when it’s ready. If you feel some resistance when you go to flip your meat, let it cook for another minute or two.

take out the guesswork. You always want to cook meat to the proper temperature, so get a good thermometer: it’ll remove all doubt that your food is ready and make for a painless grilling experience. Remember: poultry should be cooked to 165° F, ground meats to 155°F, and whole pieces of pork, beef, and fish to 145° F.

Be Creative. Don’t be afraid to whip up your own spice rub, marinade, or sauce. It’s hard to go wrong and the options are truly limitless. Feeling nervous? Start out by tweaking a favorite recipe by substituting or adding a new ingredient. Happy grilling!

home tour 2009 by Maya Packard

It’s May – time to start thinking about the October Home Tour. This is one of the Elizabeth

Community Association’s biggest fundraisers, and each year we depend on our great volunteers and sponsors to make it a premier event.

This year’s tour will be held October 3 and 4 and will feature

seven beautiful homes which will be graciously opened to visitors from across the area. We’ll be looking for volunteers to greet visitors and give a brief history of the homes on tour. We’ve always had a generous response from our neighborhood businesses and look forward to their support again this year. Newcomers are encouraged to volunteer: it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet your neighbors.

info: [email protected]

Clean and green by Nancy Albert

In keeping with the ECA’s 2009 theme of “Going Green” I thought neighbors might be interested in an event held recently at Central Piedmont Community College. On Saturday, April 18 the Center for Sustainability hosted its second annual “Charlotte: Clean and Green—An Earth Day Celebration.” The event was planned and put together

through the combined efforts of CPCC, the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, US Green Building Council and Charlotte Center City Partners.

The all-day event took place along Elizabeth Avenue, in the Overcash building and on its lawn. There were opening remarks by County Commissioner Jennifer Roberts. Thirty-five free environmental education classes were offered covering everything from alternative energy, raising your own chickens, backyard wildlife habitats, organic gardening for kids, to making your home more energy efficient, composting, cooking and green careers.

Over 70 vendors from “green” industries displayed the latest technological developments in farming, alternative energy, energy management, alternative fuel cars, new solar technology, green remodeling, non-profit environmental resource organizations and much more. Music was provided by three local bands and three award winning documentaries were shown as part of an environmental symposium. Best of all, this 100% zero emissions gathering was attended by an estimated 4,000 people. CPCC plans to host a third annual Clean and Green next spring.

If green’s your thing, check out local alternative energy entrepreneur Mark Englander at www.charlotteenergysolutions.com.


eCa socials + elizabeth Restaurants = win/win by Freda Zeh

You may have heard the buzz already, but this year the ECA has added a fun new way to socialize with your neighbors while supporting our local businesses. Three ECA Socials already have been held since March, and attendance is growing at each event, says Debbie Johnson, membership committee co-chair. “It’s great to see so many Elizabeth residents and families in such a relaxed setting. Plus the feedback from businesses has been awesome!” The first three events, held at Mexi-Cafe, Nothing But Noodles, and Carpe Diem restaurants, were chosen in part for their location on Elizabeth Avenue. A team effort across several ECA committees, the socials have emphasized these businesses first because they’ve really been hit hard by construction plus a challenging economy.

Michelle Flattum of NOFO/ Mexi Café sent us this note after their event:

“Thank you again and again for choosing to help out the businesses in the Elizabeth Community. I hope to see the area growing into a great walking neighborhood for all in the near future.”

Plans are in the works for future events across the neighborhood. Stay tuned to LizBizPromos, our ECA website link to local businesses, or join the ECA today to receive updates on future ECA Social events.

If you are a local restaurant owner and would like to host a future ECA Social, please contact Terry Lett, our Business Liaison for the ECA, at [email protected] for more information.

growth in elizabeth by Peter Tart

The desire by many developers to work in The Elizabeth Community is an acknowledgement that we enjoy a rich quality of life based in our geography and citizenry. We have an engaged population, beautifully scaled and organized infrastructure and delightful public tree canopy that shields from the summer sun and comfortably transitions between public and private space. These attributes also are the underlying dollar-value of Elizabeth land so coveted for development and can be expected to provide a reasonable profit to those developing within the community. And since any rezoning request in not a right, but rather a critically reviewed privilege and responsibility, we should expect the granting of such request will benefit both community and investors.

Rezoning petition #2009-048 The current rezoning request by Winter Development concerns a triangular 6.87 acre property bounded by East 7th Street and Weddington Avenue. The petitioner is requesting an up-zoning from R-22MF (multi-family use at 22 living units per acre) to MUDD-CD (Mixed Use Development District - Conditional). The developer can build 151 living units under the current zoning but desires a rezoning to allow for nearly 400 residential rental units.

The property is currently characterized by a 2 1/2 block-long 7th Street edge with no street intersections, a nearly 40’ drop in grade elevation along 7th Street and a mature tree canopy that helps soften the edge between 4 lanes of traffic and the buildable site. The south side of 7th Street is zoned R-MF22 and currently is occupied by single-family homes. On the other side of the Winter property, located across Weddington Avenue is Queen City Lumber and a train railway that sees about 9-to-12 trips per day. Otherwise there are single-family and multi-family structures at each end of the property and within several blocks.

property history - 2008 Charette Aware of growing developer interest in our community the ECA and HENF (Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood


Foundation) requested help from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department in formulating a thoughtful direction for new development, especially along 7th Street. As part of that charette (workshop) the Winter property was identified as one of three “nodes” or places of concentrated activity and density. While the charette was considered a possible foundation of what will eventually lead to the “Elizabeth Small Area Plan” there were many principles identified that the neighborhood can now endorse. The charette recognized that these nodes could benefit from a mix of residential and commercial uses with the intent that a commercial component would encourage pedestrian activity at, and between, nodes along 7th Street. Specifically, the charette identified a more generous transition between the roadway and pedestrian way than is stated as a minimum under the MUDD category. While MUDD requires a minimum of 14 feet the charette response encourages 20’-32’ at residential developments - a more comfortable transition zone.

Developer’s intent Over the 4-to-5 meetings between stakeholders the developer’s team has made

revisions to the project that currently can be expected to include the following:

• just under 400 apartment units wrapped around 2 concealed parking decks

• no commercial uses

• the height along 7th Street will be limited to 3 levels, stepping back to 4 levels toward Weddington Avenue and the railway

• along 7th Street the massing has been divided into 4 “buildings” along the roughly 2 1/2 city blocks with a single a private “street” in the middle of the project connecting 7th Street and Weddington Avenue

• each of those four “buildings” sit on a sloping grade of about 9’-10’, without a floor elevation change and therefore the relationship between building and pedestrian sidewalk is mostly non-communicative to the pedestrian on the lower edge - this may also lead to a perceived extra story at that edge

• Bascom Street is intended to

be re-aligned to intersect with Cameron Avenue, without a traffic light

• no presentation has yet to refer to utility locations, landscaping intentions or public amenities (bicycle parking etc.)

• the current plan iteration can be found at www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planning/Home.htm - navigate to petition # 2009-048 - bottom of page under

“What’s Hot!...Rezoning Petitions”

positive design considerations A successful project would result from respect of the current contributing context of Elizabeth. The scale of 3-level buildings can be mitigated with a healthy, significant

tree canopy which acts to transition from street to the new buildings. The nature of the transition zone from public way (street and sidewalk) to building face or entry should encourage public gathering, chance meetings and general pedestrian activity that enriches urban spaces. Primary entrances to the building should be visible and scaled appropriately as visual cues, further complementing the context of the neighborhood. The most identifiable part of most buildings in Elizabeth is the approach and entrance to our existing buildings. If these


devices have been overlooked it’s probably a sign that the developer’s emphasis is on the vehicular access to internal parking rather than cueing and encouraging pedestrian access and activity, which is one of the hallmarks of urban neighborhoods.

Consider The Williamson mixed-use project at the corner of 7th Street and Clarice Avenue. The 3 story building is set back from 7th St. a very comfortable distance, providing a positive pedestrian experience even though it is adjacent to 3 lanes of sometimes-heavy traffic. On the Clarice Street side there are

individual stepped approaches leading to individual units close to the public sidewalk. These simple but rich steps activate the public way, provide appropriate scale and act as a transition zone - with no unnecessary theatrics. The size of the building and parking area, located on approximately 1/4 block, addresses its context remarkably well and should be considered a good example from which to judge the devel-opment further down 7th Street.

Growth can be positive for the Elizabeth Community and we hope to be able to support this development as long as the trade-off of up-zoning

compliments and benefits our neighborhood. Between now and the announcement of the developer’s formal presentation to the community you are encouraged to review the site in-person while considering the immediate and expanded context, and considering other places in Charlotte or on your travels that have benefitted from thoughtful responses to the need for growth while respecting and improving the local quality of life.

☛ preferred street section (above) and preferred residential public way (left) at “node” - at 3-lane section of 7th Street section from the 7th St. Charette 2008

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ECA 2-09