Morning Minute: Tuesday, January 22, 2019

News About Town: Have you noticed a pot hole on your street that needs to be filled? Sign knocked down and hasn’t been replaced? First figure out if the street is owned by the town or state. If your street is a town-maintained street, as are most neighborhood streets, then contact Public Works to report the problem. If your street is state-maintained, NCDOT has an easy form to fill out to report the problem.

Public Works: 704-708-1240 or email matthews@matthewsnc.gov

NCDOT: 1-877-DOT-4YOU (1-877-368-4968) or website form

Need a stop sign replaced? Call Public Works or NCDOT.

News Around Town: USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby in America, selected the Sportsplex at Matthews as the site for their 2019 Spring College National Championship Series. The organization worked with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority/Visit Charlotte to determine the location of their 2018 Fall College National Championships. Visit Charlotte partnered with Sportsplex staff to deliver a professional-level experience for USA Rugby and their participating teams. The Men's D1AA, Women's D1, and Women's D2 finals will be played on the weekend of May 3.

One Fun Thing: Family Fun Night at Crews Rec Center is a night of free food, drinks, and entertainment in a family-friendly atmosphere. February 1, Family Fun Night returns with Mini Golf Night! If you’ve been missing Putt Putt on Albemarle Road (for what? two decades now?) get yourself on over to Crews and relieve the glory of a hole-in-one shot blindly through the middle of a gnome-sized windmill.

*Windmills have not been confirmed, but we’re pretty sure there’s no skeeball.

Proffitt Dixon: Growth in the Entertainment District

If you’ve driven along Matthews-Mint Hill Road near Ridge Church and Dorian’s Deli you may have noticed the beginning stages of development on 35.5 acres of the south side of the road.

The property went before the Planning Board and then to the Board of Commissioners (the typical method) for rezoning from I-1 to ENT in 2017. The planned construction, previously named Matthews Park, is a multi-use, urban-style, pedestrian-friendly network of live/work spaces in anticipation of the build-out of the Entertainment District. For those unfamiliar with zoning, I-1 is property appropriate for light industrial and ENT is a designation by the Town in the Land Use Plan for the acreage surrounding the Sportsplex..

Successfully rezoned, site work is now underway. The ENT district requires an 8% tree save which Proffitt Dixon, the developer, has committed to meeting and exceeding. A preliminary survey showed no trees larger than 36” diameter. During Phase I of construction the site will not be clear-cut, though ultimately the majority of the existing trees that are saved will be the ones closest to Matthews-Mint Hill Road. To meet the 8% tree save, trees will be strategically replanted.

According to the Board of Commissioner’s approval, the entire complex of Matthews Park can include up to 570 apartments, 180 hotel rooms, and 151,000 square feet of commercial space, which may include retail and medical offices. Construction is planned in two phases. Phase 1, where the site work is currently underway, will be 359 apartments. The next phase may include the remaining apartments, hotel, and commercial portion, as allowed by the rezoning process.

Proffitt Dixon expects Phase 1 of this project to be completed in 2021.