Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

Newsletter Jan 2003

Home Values

Quality Of Life Study
Every few years the City evaluates Charlotte’s neighborhoods based on social, crime, economic and physical conditions. This research converts the individual statistical scores into three neighborhood-ranking categories: “stable,” “threatened,” and “fragile.”
Merry Oaks is too small to be studied alone, so for purposes of this study it includes all the homes (single family and apartments) from Hilliard Drive on the North, Eastway Drive on the east, Central Avenue on the south, Briar Creek (the creek, not the road) and Country Club Lane up to Florida Avenue on the west, including 1884 housing units and 4,343 residents.
This area’s overall Quality of Life is rated stable. Broken down, it is stable on the social and crime dimension, but threatened on the physical and economic dimension. Other interesting details are:

Average home value: $111,064 (City = $162,717)
Median household income: $49,435 (City = $50,109)
Percent over age 64: 8.9% (City = 8.7)
Dropout rate 9.3% (City = 6.4%)
Births to adolescents 8.5% (City = 6.7%)
Violent crime rate 1.3 (City = 1)
Appearance Index “low”
Percent substandard housing 5% (City = 1.7%)
Percent homeowners 41.8% (City = 54.9%)
Pedestrian friendliness Low (City = Low)
Percent of persons receiving food stamps 6.4%
(City = 5.6%)
To see more details, visit the Charlotte Mecklenburg web site (http://www.char-meck.org) and do a search on Quality of Life. Our Neighborhood Statistical Area is #49.

In a Related Story…..
The Charlotte Observer reported early this month that home sales prices in close-in neighborhoods such as Merry Oaks were higher (as a percentage of assessed tax values) than home sales prices farther away from the center city. The paper’s analysis showed that Merry Oaks’ recent home sales prices were “higher than average” (as a percentage of assessed tax values) than the rest of the city. Recent home sales prices in adjacent neighborhoods of Plaza Midwood and Briar-Creek/Woodland were even higher than Merry’ Oaks (as a percentage of assessed tax values).
Besides meaning that our neighborhood has become popular to home buyers, it may mean that our assessed tax values are too low. Especially for those on a fixed income, it would be bad news if the new 2003 tax assessment is much higher. City officials say that assessed taxes will not necessarily increase. But even if they do, in the long run if you are a property owner in Merry Oaks your investment is doing better percentage-wise than in many other parts of the city. “That is what Chantilly had 10 years ago, Plaza Midwood had 20 years ago and Dilworth had 30 years ago” he says. These places are sought-after by young families, couples and single people who want to live close in to the central city.
“Right,” you think. “Dilworth we’re not.”
Think again. Sure, some of Dilworth’s (and Plaza Midwood’s) homes are big and loaded with character. But look closely and you’ll see that a lot of them started out as — you guessed it — one-story brick ranches or bungalows. Just like we have here. In the sought-after edges of Dilworth and Plaza Midwood, many homes look just like those on Draper, Arnold, Graybark. But guaranteed — in a few years many of them will have second stories, additions, porches.
So you know where this is going. Our real estate agents friends may not like this.
They’ll get over it. OK, here it is: STAY HERE! ADD ON!

Neighborhood News

Merry Oaks School
Merry Oaks school staff has started packing for the move to the new school which they are expecting be into by the end of January. There will be a formal open house and celebration during April but neighbors are welcome to drop in any time. You must come by the office and get a visitor tag. You will be able to walk around but you cannot go into classrooms or talk to teachers while class is in session. There are windows where you can look into the classrooms. Lunch is 10-12 and you can buy a lunch ($2.50 or $3 for an adult, $2 per child.)
Six basketball hoops will be open to the neighborhood after 6 PM and on weekends during daylight hours. Playground equipment will be available to the neighborhood after the old building is demolished. The gym, cafeteria and so on will available after school hours for community use.
Right now plans are to demolish the old school this summer. One building from the old school (the newer blue wing) will be saved for an after-school site and adult education center. Previous plans to have two schools on the site for a year or two have apparently been abandoned due to traffic concerns. The campus park for the neighborhood is still on the table and will be addressed by CMS and the County Park and Recreation Department during 2003. Assistant Principal Patricia Blakeley-Shuler


Neighborhood Improvement Project
If you just moved in or woke up, be aware that in the past year and a half Merry Oaks has received new sidewalks throughout, curb and gutter, a traffic circle and other infrastructure improvements. Here is an update from the City Project Manager:
“The Neighborhood Improvement Project has come along slowly but surely. Bad weather including the ice storm slowed all construction projects throughout the city. However, 7 Star plans to be finished with the punch list and with restoring the staging area on Arnold by the end of January. Remaining work will include 6-month and 1-year warranty inspections. This spring 7 Star will return to put down permanent pavement markings on the traffic mini-circle. Most of the neighborhood will be scheduled for resurfacing on this year’s resurfacing contract. And landscaping, which was delayed due to the water shortage, is scheduled for next fall. Landscaping will include shrubs and a tree at the traffic circle, trees in the planting strips and City right-of-way, and shrubs and crepe myrtles to buffer the Aztec Apartments from Arnold Drive. Todd Thorne, Neighborhood Improvement Project Manager

Briar Creek Greenway
The Briar Creek Greenway will eventually (wishful thinking = 20 years) be a multiuse trail along the entire creek from its source near the Charlotte Museum of History to the confluence with Little Sugar Creek near Tyvola and Park Roads. Due to advocacy from Merry Oaks, Plaza Midwood and Briar-Creek/Woodland neighborhoods, the first section will be built here. There will be a walk-in only entrance on Arnold Drive where the construction staging now is. The park will extend north to Harbinger Ct. where the county has already purchased and will remove two homes, and it will extend south a ways along the creek on the Arnold side behind some homes, and all along the creek on the Masonic side, where homes have already been removed from the floodplain. The two sides of the creek will be connected via a bridge, which will be the centerpiece of the park. Here is as update from the County Greenway Planner:
“We’ve been busy at work with the three easements on Arnold Drive. These were approved by the Board of County Commissioners on January 6. All the neighbors have been great to work with.
“As you know we need a bit more bond money for construction. I’m confident that Briar Creek will remain at the top of the list from this month’s bond sale due to the connectivity efforts.” (see related updates below)
“Our Real Estate Services has the Request for Proposal ready to send out at soon as the easement paperwork is finalized. The Request is what we use to get proposals from firms to do the design work. There was some preliminary design work done a few years ago, but we had to change it to avoid needing an easement from the Charlotte Country Club. I don’t think design will take any longer than four to six months at the most, and then we will bid for construction.”
Bridget Hanifin, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department Greenway Planner

Central Avenue Streetscape
About 35 people from this neighborhood showed up to hear City staff present plans for the Central Avenue streetscape between Eastway and Morningside. This project is due to be completed by August of 2003.
The City will install a few center lane medians, and redo the sidewalks with wide planting strips where possible. The corner of Arnold Drive and Central will be landscaped. Trees will be planted along the length of the corridor. They are unable to move utility lines to the outgoing side, as previously planned. The bike lanes recently installed on Central east of Eastway Drive will be extended down to Merry Oaks Road (and Cyrus on the outgoing side). A signed bike route will direct cyclists from Merry Oaks road to the eventual Briar Creek Greenway entrance on Arnold Drive, from which they will able to access the Plaza Midwood neighborhood (see related update next article).

Connectivity To Plaza-Midwood
The City has completed citizen input and is currently in planning and property acquisition stages for the pedestrian and bike connectivity between Plaza Midwood and Merry Oaks using the upcoming Briar Creek Greenway.
The greenway will be connected to Logie Avenue via a multiuse trail hopefully along a tributary at the end of Masonic Drive. Logie will be connected to the end of Roland St. in Plaza-Midwood via a single-lane “choker” type of street. This design was a compromise between Logie residents who wanted vehicular access to Plaza-Midwood and the Morningside signal light, and some Plaza Midwood residents who were afraid of increased cut-though traffic if Logie were connected with a full street.

Neighborhood Signs
Merry Oaks Neighborhood was granted a $3100 grant from the City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grants Program to erect small banner-style metal signs throughout the neighborhood. We are matching it with $700 in cash from donations and existing neighborhood funds, as authorized by the MONA Board, with $2400 in donated professional and volunteer services, and with donated materials.
If you signed a letter indicated your willingness to have a sign on the edge of your property, be aware that the locations have not been chosen and that you will be consulted before anything is erected. A committee will be taking a mock-up of the sign around with Department of Transportation staff to determine the safest and most aesthetically pleasing locations for the sign. Thanks to Tom Poston and Bruce Clodfelter for their work on this project. Those of you who volunteered to help will be called to help with various details.

Neighbors’ Corner
Out and About in Merry Oaks
About 10 Merry Oaks neighbors and two visitors went Christmas caroling throughout the neighborhood on Sunday night, December 22. Afterward, they gathered for a glass of wine, soup, cider, bread, cookies and great conversation.
On January 4, about 12 neighbors spent a couple hours cleaning storm debris from the property of a neighbor who is undergoing radiation treatments and whose family is busy taking care of him.
Unfortunately for those who don’t use e-mail, the most efficient way to quickly communicate spontaneous plans like the caroling, or neighbors’ needs like the storm cleanup, is via our group e-mail.
So please, be sure your name and e-mail address are part of our group! Contact nancypierce@carolina.rr.com to be put on the list.

Dear MONA,
“Please educate our neighbors on the correct use of the traffic circle. I get nervous that someone will plow right into me from Draper every time I approach the circle from Merry Oaks coming from Central.”
The traffic circle has been very controversial. Many people think it is lopsided and encourages incorrect usage. Have you noticed all the tire marks on the curbs? If you have any speed on, it’s hard to negotiate the circle without running in to the curb.
Well, that IS the point. The traffic circle is meant to slow vehicles down like the stop signs never did. People ran the stop signs constantly.
So slow down, and proceed counterclockwise around the circle, yielding to anyone who is entering ahead of you. This means you must turn right to make a left turn.
Think of it as a tiny version of what they have around the courthouses in old North Carolina towns such as Lincolnton or Pittsboro. And realize that when properly marked and landscaped, it will add something to the character and uniqueness of our neighborhood.

Help Keep Merry Oaks Looking Good
Brandon Cole is the new Mecklenburg County zoning inspector for our area. He deals with problems such as junk cars, improper dumpsters, illegal signs, building without a permit and land use violations. Reach him at 980-721-9304 or 704-336-4354
Joyce Anderson is the Neighborhood Development Code Enforcement Inspector (formerly known as Community Improvement inspector) She deals with abandoned cars, litter, junk, overgrown grass and so on. Call her at 704-336-7810. Since this inspector is now under the Neighborhood Development Department, she will soon be dealing with Minimal Housing Code standards as well. If the Quality of Life assessment is correct in saying that five percent of the housing units in our neighborhood are substandard (see item elsewhere in the newsletter), the Minimum Housing Code—which deals with aesthetics as well as function— may need more enforcing here.
Have you noticed fewer shopping carts scattered about? Solid Waste Services Special Services Division in September started to pick up and dispose of abandoned shopping carts. But we have to call and report their location. Want to be a shopping cart monitor? Call 704-336-7810 or e-mail janderson@ci.charlote.nc.us and report the locations of abandoned shopping carts.

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