2810[high]5: Vacancies in Downtown Matthews

Downtown Matthews is, without a doubt, one of the hottest spots in the Charlotte area for an evening of food and drink. During several recent presentations, however, we’ve heard there are no vacancies in the Downtown area. We did some digging to see if that is, in fact true.

Good news for those of you interested in buying, renting, or leasing! There are more than a handful of vacant spaces in downtown.Below are five options in the Downtown District as defined by the Town Planning department.

BB&T: When the closure of the John St. BB&T was announced, staff cited the widening of John Street as one of the reasons the company closed this location. According to the County Polaris, Wilkinson Properties c/o BB&T owns this property. They’re tough to get a hold of, but the building has been vacant since late 2018. There have been a few breweries interested in opening in Downtown Matthews…maybe one will land here?
Built in 1973, the 4,701 square foot space is zoned B-1.

Ames Station: Certainly the biggest vacancy in the downtown area, Ames Station is ripe for creative development. The size alone is an artist’s dream. The price of rent in downtown Matthews is not. The owner will lease subdivided areas, but the overall building is 32,635 square feet and zoned I-1.

The Old Library: A building with an interesting history and a modern design, this spot has weathered the seasons but hasn’t weathered rezoning. Most recently a brewery approached Council to rezone for a brewery and beer garden. The idea was not well-received. Most interestingly heavy metal music was mentioned more than once. (The brewery is now in Harrisburg.) The 1957 building is 3,594 square feet, and zoned B-1.

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Griffin Square: Perhaps the most retail-friendly space available, again the rent might be prohibitive to a small business owner. Griffin Square is conveniently located across from Stumptown Park and is highly visible during festivals. With that visibility in mind, this vacancy might be filled before we get this post up.

Traditional office spaces: Several spots around downtown are available for lease as traditional office space. These properties appear to be more affordable than spaces that would be more retail-friendly. The office available through the Nichols Company is at the corner of Trade and East Matthews and is part of the HUC zoning. The other, available through Mark Real Estate, is at the intersection of Ames and West Matthews and is zoned O.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, April 30, 2019

News About Town: Town Hall is looking a little bare these days, but fear not. In August of 2018, the Board of Commissioners improved an $80,000 upfit for the columns and handrails at the front of the town hall. Originally built in 2001, the columns and handrails have been painted and repaired numerous times. The replacements are fiberglass and anodized aluminum, respectively.

News Around Town: This Thursday, May 2, at 11 a.m. the County Manager will present her recommended 2020 FY budget to the County Commission. If you can’t make it but want to follow along, it will be streamed live on MeckNC.gov and live-tweeted on Twitter.

At 6 p.m. on the following Thursday (May 9) Commissioners will hold a public hearing for the Recommended Budget at 6 p.m. You may sign up to speak at this meeting by signing up online or by phone at 980-314-2870 now through May 6.

Both meetings will be held in the Meeting Chamber of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St., Charlotte. 

One Fun Thing: There's a brand new pop in town, and we're pretty stoked. Velo Pops just opened beside First Watch on 51. Flavors like Banana Nutella and Hibiscus Lemon Agave (shout out to Avocado Lime) up the ante on nuanced flavor sans hangover. Hello, small-batch sweets crawl. We think we've found our summer plans--it's gonna be a cold one.   

HAWK's Earth Day with Kids in Nature Celebration

Habitat and Wildlife Keeper’s 2019 Earth Day with Kids In Nature Day event was this past Saturday at Squirrel Lake Park. If you didn’t make it out, the group hosted about 40 vendors and area nonprofits who engaged area kids about and taught all things nature.

If you couldn’t make it, don’t fret! We’ve took photos to share a few of our favorite booths.

Morning Minute: Monday, April 29, 2019

News About Town: If you use Weddington Road between Fincher Farm and Winterbrooke regularly, make sure to plan alternate routes for the week. Today through Friday (Monday, April 29th through Friday, May 3rd) Blythe Construction will be working on Weddington from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Through travel will be limited to one lane at times so delays are expected.

News Around Town: The Silver Line often feels like a distant dream, but after last Wednesday’s Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting, the project is a baby step closer to the design process. The MTC voted to approve the 2020 Fiscal Year operating budget, which includes millions in additional funding to advance the Silver Line. The $1.7 billion project will be funded through local, state, and federal dollars. In late 2018 the Federal Transit Authority awarded CATS a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning grant for $920,000.

One Fun Thing: Hey naturalists! The Charlotte Metro area (at the time of writing) has 3,547 posts, 741 species, and 184 participants in the City Nature Challenge. According to the app, several participants are in Matthews. The most active areas for reporting are the downtown area and Idlewild Road Park. Today is the last day to participate before the final numbers are tallied.

Morning Minute: Friday, April 26, 2019

Lots of Fun Things Around and About Town:

This weekend is jam packed with things to do in Matthews. Choose your favorites and make like a tourist in your own town!

Friday April 26th:
Food Truck Friday at Stumptown Park, 5:00 pm

Saturday April 27th:
Matthews Community Farmers’ Market, 8:00 am
Document Shredding at Matthews Community Center, 9:00 am
Earth Day with Kids in Nature Day at Squirrel Lake Park, 10:00 am
Family Fun Day at Matthews UMC, 10:00 am
HELP Fest at Matthews HELP Center, 5:00 pm

Morning Minute: Thursday, April 25, 2019

News About Town: If you’ve been sparking joy left and right but have no clue what to do with all those old tax papers and credit card offers, consider the Town your Kondo-hero! Take up to 4 banker boxes to the Community Center this Saturday, from 9 am to noon, and the Town of Matthews and Record Storage Systems will safely and securely dispose of your unwanted papers. No need to worry; the process is HIPAA-compliant. (HIPAA HIPAA HOORAY?)

News Around Town:  Duke Power will be doing some work in front of Matthew-Sardis Park today. The park will be inaccessible. In other park news, the Board of Commissioners voted to rename Rice Road Park to Rice Park in honor of the Rice family who owned the land around the park for generations.

One Good Thing: This Saturday start your day at Squirrel Lake with HAWK’s Earth Day festivities, then mosey on over to Matthews UMC for Family Fun Day! The fun begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. Kids can bounce in the bounce houses, ride ponies, and learn about and pet all sorts of neat critters. Snacks will be available to purchase from the All-Star Café and Icy Treats Food Trucks. (Maybe some hand sanitizer or hand washing would be appropriate post-critter petting?) Proceeds support Matthews UMC playground renewal projects. Learn more at Preschool.MatthewsUMC.org.

#ThrowbackThursday: January 15, 2009

With permission, The Beacon is archiving past issues of Matthews Record (also called Matthews News and Record and The Matthews News) articles online. Throwback Thursday articles will include relevant content still facing Matthews today. This story was originally published January 15, 2007 and was written by Janet Denk.

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Wayward bird finds its way to Matthews

When he’s not poring over engineering reports and planning petitions, Matthews Planning Board member Jim Giles, above, enjoys feeding the birds in his Brightmoor subdivision backyard. The birder hit the jackpot when he spotted a Rufous Hummingbird at his feeder last week. Fellow birders/conservationists Carol Buie Jackson of HAWK and Bill Hilton, Jr. of the Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History helped document the extraordinary event, as Rufous Hummingbirds breed in the western US and Canada, and winter in Mexico.

Hilton monitors vagrant hummingbirds in the eastern and central US and says hummers are being seen with increasing regularity during winter in the East, perhaps because more folks are leaving hummingbird feeders up after the traditional take-down date of Labor Day (September 1). The Matthews Record will have a full report in the next edition.

In the meantime, check out Jackson’s website at www.smelllikedirt.wordpress.com. See what Hilton’s up to at www.hiltonpond.org.

Morning Minute: Wednesday, April 24, 2019

News About Town: If the multi-lane roundabout at Idlewild and 51 is just as perplexing today as it was when it was completed, NCDOT has a video to make sense of the circular intersection. Watch through the end, there are valuable rules for cyclist and pedestrian safety as well.

News Around Town:  Early voting begins today for the Republican candidate in the 9th Congressional District. Voters who live in the district and are Republican or Unaffiliated may vote. Early voting ends Friday, May 10 with a Primary Election Day on Tuesday, May 14. With ten Republicans in the ring, it's possible no candidate will receive 30% of the vote. If that's the case, a second primary may be requested by the second highest vote-getter for the top two vote-getters. The runoff primary would be held September 10. If there’s no runoff primary, Election Day is September 10, but if there is then Election day is November 5.

One Good Thing: If you don't have your ticket yet, now's the time to get one. Ticket for what, you ask? This Saturday is the 4th Annual Festival, “HELP Fest” Fundraiser for Matthews HELP Center. Your ticket supports the center's mission to Help Ease Local Poverty. In return, you get to enjoy live music by the Extraordinaires, food from an array of Matthews Restaurants (we've got our eye on you Grace O'Malley's), and drinks from your favorite local watering holes (ahem, Stumptown Station). Bring extra spending money to grab some goodies in the silent auction. Tickets are $50 (ages 18 and up), $20 (ages 8- 17), and Children 7 and under free. The fun starts at 5 p.m. and runs til 9 p.m. and is on N. Ames Street, right outside the HELP center.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, April 23, 2019

News About Town: Now that Alta Planning and Design, the consultant for the Downtown Mobility Study, has started work, Alta is seeking insight. The Town has posted a Survey and a Map, two methods to better understand design needs from citizens’ vantage point. The Map is a visual method to provide input while the survey consists of a few quick questions; both ask about pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit needs in the downtown area.

Perhaps the perfect spot for a selfie? Where’s that bench?

News Around Town:  With CMS schools closed on May 1, various Mecklenburg County Park and Rec centers have special day-long camps planned. Typically camps are priced between $10 and $25. There are no county rec centers in Matthews (Crews Road is Town-run), but perhaps there is a location near your place of work. Find the closest center and call to see what they have planned.

One Fun Thing: Join Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK) this Saturday (April 27) for an Earth Day Celebration at Squirrel Lake Park. The festivities run from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Plenty of vendors will have activities for the whole family, Coca Cola will have free rain barrels, and Ranger Rick will be standing by for photo ops. This one, without a doubt, tops the Crunchy Feely-Meter in all the best ways possible.

Morning Minute: Monday, April 22, 2019

News About Town: Tonight's BOC meeting looks to be a short one, so if you're looking to dip your toe into the local government waters it's a good one to start with. The Board will approve some appointments, discuss new public art, and review the Board's policy for deferring agenda items.

Photo by reader Todd Garner 

News Around Town:  Matthews PD announced two arrests last week for a robbery that occurred at the Lowe's in Sycamore Commons on April 2nd. MPD thanked the public for assistance in identifying the suspects. The arrests were made by Mint Hill PD, who had their own list of charges against the suspects.

One Fun Thing: Thank you to everyone who participated in our inaugaral Beacster Egg Hunt! We hope you enjoyed exploring the site! Our grand prize winner with 16 eggs is reader Pamela Mitchum! Coming in second with 12 eggs is Kristen Fuller, and third with 8 eggs is Kelly Leavy. All participants will receive a bit of Beacon goodness, check your email for information on claiming your prize!

Morning Minute: Friday, April 19, 2019

On Thursday April 4, the Technical Coordinatin Committee of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) voted to support a resolution to divide the Matthews portion of the John Street widening into two portions. The resolution included a delay to widening the portion of John St. inside I-485 to Trade St. and to continue the rest of the project as scheduled. Wednesday night the Municipal Planning Organization portion of the CRTPO unanimously voted to support the resolution as well. When the TIP budget is passed by the NCDOT Board in August the resolution and delay will be officially adopted. Once officially adopted by NCDOT this means the John Street widening will be postponed until after other area projects are complete. It’s anticipated those projects will take 6 years.

News Around Town: Yesterday,April 18, was National Lineman Day. Started in 2013, this day of recognition honors the men and women responsible for running and fixing electrical transmission lines, often first on call with downed lines during the worst storms. According to the National Lineman Appreciation Day website there are more than 170 million wood power poles in the US, 2.7 million transmission towers, and 9 million miles of wire. The average salary for linemen is $63,250.

One Fun Thing: Today is the last day to hunt the elusive Beacster eggs! On Monday we’ll announce the grand winner and the daily winners. Until then, keep hunting and sending Norah (norah@matthewsbeacon.com) the links!

#ThrowbackThursday: February 21, 2008

With permission, The Beacon is archiving past issues of Matthews Record (also called Matthews News and Record and The Matthews News) articles online. Throwback Thursday articles will include relevant content still facing Matthews today. This story was originally published February 21, 2008 and was written by Janet Denk.

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Economic Development in Matthews: Become proactive

Monday’s meeting at Town Hall highlights passion and perplexity around the topic

Matthews’ tax base is one of the town’s strongest suits and is the envy of neighboring communities. With the intention of maintaining a healthy blend of residential and commercial mix, the town staff hired a consultant to walk them through the process.

Their findings: A person or entity, hired by the town, and working with the Chamber, the Board, and an Advisory Board made up of community and business leaders, to proactively seek out development opportunities currently going to places like Ballantyne.

A joint meeting held Monday at Town Hall brought up a recurring them. Less dependence on residential and more on quality commercial projects, such as large offices which lure professional companies. The theory? Such employment centers would attract major employers that would live, work, and invest in the town.

A nasty word through this process has been “retail,” which flustered many local businesses who have followed this process. Several downtown landowners attended and worried about being overshadowed by the concept of major developers calling the bulk of the shots.

Bigger is not always better, was landowner Mary Yandel’s sentiment.

“People at Town Hall have a tendency to make decisions from their offices. They talk about all this vacant land or ‘potential land’ and ‘land use,’ as if they own it.”

As if, Yandel went on to explain, the landowners and their property and businesses are inconsequential.

A landowning individual from Riggsbee Salon on N. Trade was perplexed by the lack of discussion on property in downtown Matthews, particularly “retail,” which she said includes over a half-dozen individual tenants.

“Looking to our east [at Pineville], we can see what a heavy commercial tax base looks like,” pointed out Mayor Lee Myers, who attended the meeting, along with the entire Board of Commissioners, the Town Manager, and many department heads. “Looking to our west [at Mint Hill] we can see the effects of too residential tax base.”

Besides the tax base issue, the most important reason to invest in an Economic Development position, many said, would be that the Town would have a dedicated “Go To” person who can provide guidance to the town, and the developers interested in setting up shop in Matthews.

“We know the needs of businesses looking for a place to land,” said Matthews Chamber of Commerce Director Tina Whitley, “because we get the phone calls all the time. To have someone in a position to work with these inquiries would be great!”

Frank Warren, who facilitated the meeting, emphasized the function of an economic developer.

“They would not be making land use decisions, that’s the Planning Board’s function. They would not replace the Chamber of Commerce, as they have a distinct role in business development. This is about Matthews providing a place to do business and it’s about having someone in an advocacy role who can let all these other departments do their job.”

But many landowners and businesses in Matthews, particularly downtown, remain adamant about broadening discussions with regard to zoning and development. One of those is Jim Johnson who envisions, like many others, the downtown as an urban village with real businesses allowing local residents to do commonplace things.

“My benchmark for success will be when I can work, live, play, and shop without having to get in a car,” he said. “Walking and biking around the core of Matthews should be commonplace.”

Admittedly partial to downtown, Johnson speaks for many others, inside and outside the business community who reiterate the notion that Matthews leaders make creative development difficult.

“If we want to further economic development in Matthews,” Johnson said, “my advice would be to re-read the Vision Statements, re-write our zoning ordinance (to allow for more innovative development), talk witht eh landowners in our urban core and see what’s on their minds when it comes to development, and create the ED committee out of staff, commissioners, business owners, and developers.”

Common curiosities about economic development

Q. Why discuss economic development in Matthews?

A. The Town of Matthews has a healthy blend of non-exempt ad valorem tax base with 66% residential and 34% commercial and is seeking a plant to maintain this balance. The strategic economic development currently being studied in Matthews is focusing on the vacant land around the I-485 and Independence Interchange. The goal is to strengthen Matthews’ economic muscle and positioning itself on a broader employment playing field. Matthews has a lot to offer high-end employment centers, but there isn’t an entity in town that actively “recruits” potential investors. By attracting the right projects, the town will reap the tax base that comes from commercial tax revenues, which in turn will feed the local economy and contribute to the quality of work and life.

Q. We already have company headquarters in town? Why Invest in luring more?

A. Matthews location off the interstate, along with its fine quality of life can be a major draw for large industries. As southern Mecklenburg County and northern Union County continue to grow, Matthews is missing out on some major investors who want to take advantage of the airport, weather, cost of living, and general economy. Within ten years, maybe less, Independence Blvd. will become a limited-use freeway, making the need for redevelopment of land and property along that corridor equally important.

Q. Is this a one-time event or does it have an ongoing purpose?

A. Economic development provides activities and programs aimed at improving the local and regional economies. It helps to attract and create opportunities, which help to expand the tax base, increase jobs, wages, and personal incomes.

Economic development plans can cause a “ripple effect".” From their impact springs a range of related commercial activities and services. For example, Presbyterian Hospital of Matthews has served as an economic engine for medical offices and support services surround it at Sam Newell and Highway 51. The proposed Small Area Plan adjacent to the future Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in the target area mentioned above will spawn a wide variety of recreational businesses, hotels, restaurants, and other tourism and commercial enterprises.

Historic downtown Matthews is in dire need of special attention, as business owners see long term success and residents have access to meaningful shopping to compliment the outlying areas. Discussions are underway about supporting (and growing) useful and relevant development such as food stores and services like cafes, boutiques, restaurants, retail, and residential.

Morning Minute: Thursday, April 18, 2019

News About Town: The agenda is posted on the Town website for Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. The Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resource Department Advisory Committee will present their recommendations to rename the temporarily-named Rice Road Park. Under consideration are: Boyd Park, Selma Burke Park, and Rice Park. The Advisory Committee recommends Boyd Park, in honor of Sam and Viola Boyd. The Boyds were Crestdale residents and community advocates who connected community residents with county resources and played a major role in integrating Crestdale students into Mecklenburg County schools.

News Around Town: If you haven’t been counting, there are 6 more weeks of CMS school. The Hampton Green neighborhood has been counting and spent the past couple of months getting pool ready. The nieghborhood pool is under repairs and a facelift and will be open in time for the May 11 Hampton Green Swim Club opening. To that we say, “Canonball!!”

One Fun Thing: Two more days to play! The Beacster Egg Hunt continues and we have more and more participants daily! Hop on over to the Latest News and see what you can find. Check out the hints we post on Facebook, too. AND the egg in this post counts as one, so send Norah an email to let her know you found it. For all the rules, check out this post.

Carpal Tunnel: An often misdiagnosed condition

The Beacon would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to our newest contributor, Dr. Jeremiah Morgan. Dr. Morgan is a licensed Chiropractic Physician as well as a Certified Active Release Technique provider. He practices in downtown Matthews at ProActive Chiropractic on John Street. Let’s give him a warm Matthews welcome!

Think bigger than Carpal Tunnel

A quick internet search on “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome”  (CTS) will show you endless results of the same basic definition of the condition: “a medical condition due to compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tunnel.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expands on the definition, “Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist.” You will also find the same list of symptoms such as frequent burning, tingling, or itching, numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Carpal Tunnel is arguably one of the most familiar medical conditions; everyone knows about it! However, it is still one of the most misdiagnosed conditions . We need to start thinking bigger than just Carpal Tunnel.

The nerves that supply the hand travel all way up into the cervical spine, this means that compression on the nerves can happen anywhere along the pathway of those nerves. Pressure anywhere can create Carpal Tunnel-like symptoms!

Correcting the Cause

The first step to treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome successfully is accurate diagnosis. If someone’s nerve if getting pressed on at the shoulder (a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome), then treating the wrist won’t help because they don’t have CTS. The true cause needs to be addressed. Sadly, many medical professionals are not taught how to accurately test for other sources of nerve compression. However, one encouraging piece of news is that the rates of successful treatment for CTS are increasing, and this is likely because many MDs are referring to Chiropractors, and Physical Therapists for the management of Carpal Tunnel-like symptoms. If you are having pain, numbness, or weakness in the hand, then do yourself a favor and contact your local Chiropractor or PT to schedule an evaluation!

In the meantime:

There are a lot of stretches that are recommended for Carpal Tunnel-like symptoms. Some are more effective than others. In my own clinical experience, the one that is the most effective on the whole nerve from top to bottom is the nerve glide exercise. This is also referred to as a “nerve flossing” exercise. This stretch is designed to help take tension and pressure off the Median nerve through a combination of movements. Here is a good instructional video on YouTube that explains and demonstrates how to do it.

So, before you start wearing the brace or consider aggressive procedures like surgery, have your wrist looked at and treated by a local Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, or Massage Therapist and see how they can help alleviate your symptoms.

There are a lot of stretches that are recommended for Carpal Tunnel-like symptoms. Some are more effective than others. In my own clinical experience, the one that is the most effective on the whole nerve from top to bottom is the nerve glide exercise. This is also referred to as a “nerve flossing” exercise. This stretch is designed to help take tension and pressure off the Median nerve through a combination of movements. Here is a good instructional video on YouTube that explains and demonstrates how to do it.

So, before you start wearing the brace or consider aggressive procedures like surgery, have your wrist looked at and treated by a local Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, or Massage Therapist and see how they can help alleviate your symptoms.

Morning Minute: Wednesday, April 17, 2019

News About Town: If you’re on Facebook, make sure you’re following the Town. This afternoon at 4 p.m., Commissioners Chris Melton and John Urban will host a live Q & A. Submit your questions in the comments section and the commissioners will do their best to answer them.

News Around Town:  On Saturday, March 30, Kiwanis Club of Matthews served nearly 200 people at their annual pancake breakfast. The event raised close to $4,000 for the club’s nonprofit foundation, and will be used for a variety of Kiwanis’ community service projects.

Our Week-Long Spring Break Fun Thing: Don’t forget, we’re hiding Beacster Eggs around the site: 5 each day and a bonus on the post explaining the rules. Find the eggs, let us know where you found them by emailing norah@matthewsbeacon.com, and you get fun swag!