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My vision for Mint Hill's future:
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I believe that demographically and politically, the days of Mint Hill being a 'small town' are in the past. The increase in Charlotte's population in the thirteen or so years I've lived here has been literally overwhelming, and we're feeling the effects of this influx here in town.
Mint Hill residents are hungry for Mint Hill amenities. We want to stay in town to eat, to shop, to play. Too many times we find ourselves leaving town to satisfy these needs. Haphazard decisions have led to Mint Hill's lack of an appealing downtown area, zoning variances that shouldn't have been allowed, and the building of vanity projects rather than true community amenities. Mint Hill can and should be a vibrant suburb whose residents are proud not only of their homes and neighborhoods, but their town as well. Future development and growth are inevitable, but can be responsibly managed in a way to benefit both current and future residents. It's time for new leadership with bold ideas and unfettered vision to lead Mint Hill into the future. |
Important first concerns:
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*Updating the Land Use Plan for what we want the Town to look like
in the future. Our Plan is more than two decades old, and can't possibly represent current needs of the town. We should have started work on this already, as it needs to be updated by 2021 and takes about two years to adequately complete. However, our BOC has not even addressed the issue...choosing instead to renew the 20 year old plan. Clearly, a plan that worked 20 years ago is no longer adequate for the needs of our growing town! Why hasn't the government addressed this plan, and this issue, and held public meetings to see how the residents want to see the town grow into the future? It's truly negligent, and unforgiveable. *Updating the UDO and re-evaluating under what circumstances variances are granted, both for residential and business permits. This issue is especially important as we consider the implications of NCDOT's planned widening of Matthews-Mint Hill Road. For more information regarding this plan, click on the third file to the right ("superstreet information..."). *Increasing the amenities the town offers its residents by investigating the possibility and feasibility of building one or more of the following: ~Development of the town-owned Brief Road Athletic Facility ~Full- or Half-court basketball courts ~A dog park in either of the town's two parks ~A splash park ~Beautification of the Downtown *Establishing a committee to entice business, retail, independent restaurants, and perhaps light industrial to locate in Mint Hill; in other words, an Economic Development Advisory Committee. Having these businesses locate here will expand our tax base and provide an opportunity for residents to shop locally. *Establishing a Transportation Advisory Committee. As Mint Hill's population and traffic continues to grow, we need a Committee consisting of citizens, a BOC member or two, and people with professional traffic engineering experience to guide the proper future development and management of our streets. This committee could then represent our interests to NCDOT when needed. *Establishing a Beautification Committee. responsible for bringing art and floral displays to life in public places to make our main streets appealing and attractive. *Creating a 'Government 101' class for interested citizens to learn more about the workings and procedures of their town's government. The more interested and involved the residents are, the better the community in which we all live. *Funding for more police, fire, and EMT personnel, and paying them a higher starting salary so they won't take the training Mint Hill provides, then leave to take higher paying job elsewhere. The loss of our town's ambulance service in July 2019 was a huge disappointment with potentially life-threatening repercussions. Could assigning more funding have saved it? *Establishing a Parks and Rec Department, which is a standard office in most towns. It's simply unbelievable that there isn't a professional Parks and Rec Dept. in Mint Hill. Potential responsibilities of the Parks and Rec Department would include (but are certainly not limited to): *Creating and operating weekly summer camp(s) for children *Adding more family friendly events to the town's calendar *Managing an online reservation system for town amenities *Investigating the possibility of working with the Mint Hill Historical Society to promote this wonderful and unique town asset *Working with Public Works to maintain, improve and expand on the recreational equipment and adequate signage in the town's parks *Operating or handling scheduling of charitable organizations to operate the existing Concession Stand in Veterans Park; why was this built and not used? This facility has never been operational. How much revenue has the town lost over the 21 years since it was built, by not selling snacks and beverages?
More Thoughts... |
Click to download the plans for U-5007, NCDOT's proposal for widening Hwy 51
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I have a lot of ideas and opinions about what works and what doesn’t, and what could be done to make things better. Here are some more of my ideas and visions for Mint Hill’s future, and what I would advocate for if I am elected:
GOVERNMENT *Encourage the Public Works Department to build an ‘on-call’ list of Mint Hill businesses with the capability of removing downed tree limbs who can help to clear both main and secondary roads during/after a storm, similar to the way states with snowplows keep them on-call in the winter. *Record with the intention of posting on the town’s website, or live streaming, or a combination of both, all government meetings. *Purchase and install an electronic sign similar to those seen outside many churches, and place this sign outside the police station to notify residents of town events, meetings, etc. ROADWAYS *I believe that one of the most important, immediate issues for the government elected in November will be negotiating with NCDOT regarding their proposal of turning 51 into a superstreet (‘RCI’). The repercussions of this construction will have an impact on the future of the town from the time construction begins until it ends several years later, and could very well influence a total makeover of that stretch of 51. How this is handled during the public meetings (due to start in late summer/fall of this year) and subsequent discussions/negotiations with NCDOT will be of utmost importance. *Ask the Transportation Committee to discuss with NCDOT how to make 218 safer from 485 to the town's boundary out past Ashe Plantation *Take another look at the Small Area Plan for the Lawyers Road/485 interchange and discuss how that area can best be developed now that the Bridges at Mint Hill plan appears to be defunct. Do we want more residential neighborhoods, businesses, retail, or industrial? *Initiate a series of meetings with other local mayors and/or town officials to discuss the construction being planned in each town. We can’t just be concerned with our own roads; we have to be aware of the impact of our neighboring towns’ new construction as well. There is already such a group of town officials, although I don't believe they are currently too active. POLICE AND SAFETY ISSUES *Work with the police chief to encourage neighborhoods to start Neighborhood Watch groups. Speak with local retailers of motion-sensor lights and wireless security systems to see if discounts could apply if a neighborhood purchased such items in bulk. *Meet with the principals of Independence and Lebanon Road Elementary, the police, school safety officers, and representative teachers and parents to see if there’s any way to ease traffic issues during drop-off and pick-up. MISCELLANEOUS *Meet with the postmaster from Mint Hill and the Charlotte headquarters to see what can be done about issues at our local post office *Authorize the town’s website to be completely redesigned. It’s way too slow and clunky, and difficult to navigate. *Add a form to the town’s website where residents can report problems such as potholes, downed trees, garbage on streets, etc. and be done with it, instead of having to wait for a call-back from Public Works. These are some of the topics that spring immediately to mind when I think of my goals and visions. |
Click to download the plans for U-5007, NCDOT's proposal for widening Hwy 51
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