Morning Minute: Wednesday, January 16, 2019

News About Town: ​If you’re curious about Town Council meetings but have to get dinner on the table and kids in bed, it’s now possible to have your municipal cake and eat it too. The Town has started posting audio to the website. It will be posted beside the agenda as soon as it’s available, which will usually be a day or two after the meeting. Click audio, close your eyes and feel whisked away to the Council dais. Still want the visuals? Keep an eye on the Town’s YouTube Channel. There will be more videos in the near future.

Illustration by Renee Garner

News Around Town:  This Sunday night (well, technically Monday morning) if you stay up late you might see the Super Blood Wolf Moon. The “super” part means the moon will be in relatively close proximity to the earth. A “wolf moon” is the first full moon of the year, and the blood part comes from the color of sun’s rays as they filter through the earth’s atmosphere. For 62 minutes the moon will be in full eclipse and a red hue will bathe the moon, creating both a beautiful sight and perhaps inspiration for an epic metal band name.

One Fun Thing:  This Valentine’s Day homeschoolers are invited to the McDowell Arts Center for the Arts Delivered Valentine’s Open House from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the downstairs arts studio. You and your kids will have a chance to paint a Valentines ornament ($1 material fee), watch a pottery wheel demo, buy a piece of pottery for sale, and get info on their 2nd annual Homeschool Art Exhibition. For more info contact artsdelivered@gmail.com, 704 618 2222.

The People of Matthews: Mayor Paul Bailey

We asked a few people who work for the community of Matthews to share their thoughts and hopes for 2019. Here’s what Mayor Paul Bailey told us:

Photo from MatthewsNC.gov

Do you have a New Year's resolution? Spend more time focused on the important things in life.

What do you hope for in the new year? Continued health and increased time getting outside and enjoying our parks, greenways, and our great town.

What do you want to leave behind in the old year? Although I spent 41 years doing a job I loved, I will happily leave that behind in 2018. Time for new and different adventures.

What do you see foresee for Matthews in the coming year? We have a number of items I want to address in 2019. Foremost is to resolve the improvements to John St. with NCDOT and solidify the idea of traffic moving around the historic downtown rather than through it; getting the Trade St. bridge construction completed; getting aggressive in finding grants dollars to tie our greenways, bike trails, and sidewalks together to further develop our walkability and connectivity; and continue the vision for our historic downtown by encouraging a balance of residential and business uses so we can continue to see Matthews become a desirable place to live, work and play.    

Morning Minute: Friday, December 7, 2018

News About and Around Town: There is a Board of Commissioners meeting this Monday, and it’s overflowing with agenda items. At 5:30, before the actual meeting, Commissioners will meet to discuss zoning for the warehouse property on East John St.

Following the discussion, at 6 PM, is a reception honoring Planning Director Kathi Ingrish, who is retiring this year.

During the regular Council meeting, the floor will be open for public comment on several rezoning applications. Application 2018-691 is for a mixed-use development which will include 121 townhomes on three acres at Idlewild and I-485. One property on West John is an application to rezone a residential lot, R-20, to office, O(CD). A third rezoning item, 2018-693, is simply to update the land use code for several properties in Crestdale to match the current Unified Develpment Ordinance.

The Board may vote on several items on Monday, including rezoning property on the Novant Hospital Campus to allow for office building construction. The Small Area Plan Overlays are back, the Board will once again have the opportunity to approve or deny the plans.

Beyond planning, the agenda contains fairly typical meeting items but there are a few worth noting. When NCDOT begins Independence Blvd improvements it will be up to the town to choose and fund pedestrian/bicycling improvements through the corridor. The Board will discuss this Monday night. They will consider the John Street Working Group's design and decide for or against adoption. Another item up for consideration is the 2019 Legislative Agenda, which lays out the expectations of the Town’s role in governing in tandem with the NC General Assembly. 

One Fun Thing: If it’s not snowin’-up-a-storm this Saturday, we’ll be out at The Loyalist (435 North Trade St.) with Good Cup Coffee for our second Hyperlocal Holiday Pop Up of the season! Warm up with a bowl of The Loyalist’s legend(wait for it)ary soup, then stroll the pocket park in the side yard and shop handmade-wares while sipping on the tummy warming goodness of Good Cup cocoa. 

Morning Minute: Wednesday, December 5, 2018

 

News About Town: The Board of Commissioners Mini Planning Conference is coming up this Friday and Saturday (December 7 – 1:00 PM  til 7 PM and December 8 from 8 AM til 1 PM) in the Hood Room of Town Hall. The Board of Commissioners and Town Staff will check in on items from the previous Planning Conference, review town demographics, discuss the vision of and possible property acquisition for expanding Stumptown Park, refine roles for town committees, discuss branding and aesthetics throughout the town, consider expanding parking measures such as a parking deck, and review the town Code of Ethics. The meeting is open to the public but there will be no portion for public comment.

News About Town: According to an SEC filing and The Charlotte Observer, after the September announcement to close their Family Dollar headquarters in Matthews, Dollar Tree offered 700 employees the opportunity to transfer to Virginia with the company. Nearly 500 of those employees declined the offer.

One Fun Thing: This Saturday, December 8, from 12 PM to 3 PM we’re co-hosting another Hyperlocal Pop-Up Market with Good Cup Coffee and The Loyalist. Join the Matthews Beacon and 15 local artists, craftsmen, food vendors, and small businesses in the pocket park at The Loyalist (435 North Trade Street #102, Matthews). Stop in The Loyalist for a hearty bowl of the best soup in town, then head outside to sip on Good Cup Coffee and shop with a few of our Hyperlocal Gift Guide participants. This is a great opportunity to support some of our areas most talented movers, shakers, and makers.