News About Town: The Town Planning Department has been reaching out to residents of the eastern part of Matthews (the area between Windrow and Mint' Hill’s Stevens Creek Nature Preserve) since early this year to get a gauge on what neighbors want to see developed in the area. From this research, combined with local planning expertise, the town is developing the Eastern Gateway Plan. The planning department presented their thoughts and findings to the Board of Commissioners during the 5:30pm meeting on September 13, which includes single family housing closest to the Windrow neighborhood and transitions to mixed-use and multi-family housing closer to I-485. There was some discussion among the board of including affordable housing within the plan as well as outreach to the adjoining towns to better understand what to expect across town borders. View the presentation here (approximately the first 36 minutes of the recording).

News Around Town Part I: Due to storms in the area, the Matthews HELP Center has rescheduled their annual golf tournament for October 11.

Part II: Some sort of odd TikTok challenge has bathrooms closed in area schools. Students are participating in “Devious Licks,” which is another way to say theft or destruction, which is causing costly damage. According to Crestdale Middle Principal Jennifer Schroeder, “All of the bathrooms in our school were vandalized, which included the breaking or stealing of soap dispensers, stealing soap from the dispensers, or throwing objects into the toilets.” TikTok has since removed the tag #deviouslick as a method to prevent videos from going viral, but locally Principal Schroeder is asking for help, “We are at school to focus on instruction, and to provide a positive and safe environment for all. Please speak with your child about this tonight, and explain to them the importance of their actions and the effects of those actions on others.”

One Fun Thing: Esports, aka competitive video gaming, is a growing industry with over $1 billion in annual revenue. Whether you fall into the “it is a sport” or “it isn’t a sport” camp, esports are competitive fun. This fall, Matthews Parks and Rec is dipping their toes in the gaming realm this fall, offering recreational and competitive leagues and tournaments. Stay tuned…it’s gonna be fun.