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INSIDE ▼ Hospitals among workplace safety leaders PAGE 2A Friday, April 18, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 16
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Townhome project represents attainable for-sale housing By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – Town commissioners reviewed a rezoning proposal April 14 that would add 136 townhomes on nearly 12 acres next to Mecklenburg County’s Idlewild Park and a Lidl store.
Bridget Grant, a land-use consultant with Moore & Van Allen, framed the Lilly Townhomes rezoning as a solution for the lack of housing diversity and for-sale homes in Matthews. Grant pointed to 12 homes for sale in Matthews between $250,000 and $550,000. She also mentioned townhomes, duplexes and condos account for just 6% of the town’s housing stock. One of the most appealing pieces of the project is the deed restrictions. No unit can be available for rent for 18 months from purchase. No more than 20% of the units can be for rent. And no entity or affiliate may own more than two units within the community. “We’re basically trying to demonstrate a commitment to keep these for sale in the long term,” Grant told commissioners.
Bridget Grant, land-use consultant with Moore & Van Allen, said the Lilly Townhomes project was originally supposed to be 288 multifamily units but was reduced to 136 townhomes after community feedback.
Mayor John Higdon said he was happy to see the deed restrictions in the proposal. He’s heard of entire neighborhoods in Mecklenburg County that have been sold to venture capitalists and turned into rentals. Planning Board Chairman Howie Labiner would like to get more of a commitment from the developer as far as affordable or attainable housing. Labiner said they hear these units will be “under $400,000” with no parameters regarding area median income. “My concern is what’s to stop this thing from being built and then these units going up at $600,000,” Labiner said. “That’s what I’m trying to get because the tradeoff here is
we may be willing to let you go much denser than almost anyone else can in return for attainable units. I’m concerned there is not a parameter or figure in here to prevent that from happening.” Neighbor Alex Freeman had many more concerns, mostly about traffic. He was the only citizen to speak during the April 14 public hearing. Freeman said the entrance to the townhomes would be 750 feet from the Margaret Wallace Road and Idlewild Road intersection, which he said arguably has the worst traffic in town. “This proposal is the antithesis of the
AVENS TO LEAD MATTHEWS POLICE DEPARTMENT By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – The Town of Matthews has hired James Avens as its next police chief.
Avens not only serves as interim chief of the Elizabeth City Police James Avens Department but he is also president of the North Carolina Police Executives Association. “We went through an exhaustive interview process to find him,” Matthews Town Manager Becky Hawke said April 14. “He really stood out from the very beginning, not just his background but his demeanor, the way he focused on community, the way that he has taken care of the police departments
he has led in the past.” Avens has worked in law enforcement since September 2001. He served in sheriff’s offices in Halifax and Northampton counties before joining the Weldon Police Department in 2006. Avens was promoted to chief of police during his 12 years with the Weldon Police Department. He joined the Elizabeth City Police Department in 2018 as deputy chief and accepted the role of interim chief in May 2024 following the retirement of Phillip Webster. “The City of Elizabeth City is extraordinarily thankful to Interim Chief Avens for his years as our deputy chief and interim chief, and we know he’ll continue to do great things in this next endeavor,” according to a news release from Elizabeth City. Avens will start his new role with the
Matthews Police Department on June 2. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve the Matthews community,” Avens said. “Matthews is a vibrant and welcoming town with a strong commitment to public safety. I’m excited to work with the dedicated professionals of the Matthews Police Department to continue building trust and collaboration with the community.” The Matthews Police Department has been led by Interim Chief Penny Dunn since February and Maj. Roy Sisk from September 2024 until his retirement in January. Mike Clesceri was the last permanent chief. Clesceri had to resign in 2024 after six months on the job due to “unforeseen personal circumstances.”
Indian Trail: Paws in the Park
Crooked Creek Park will be filled with pooches and their beloved hoomans at Indian Trail Parks and Recreation’s Paws in the Park. Aside from easy access to Crooked Creek’s dog park, the festival offers games and vendors that would delight the likes of Dorothy and Toto, Scooby and Shaggy, and Turner and Hooch. • When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 3 • Where: 5900 Oakwood Lane, Indian Trail • Details: indiantrail.org Matthews: Beats n’ Bites
It’s sensory overload when the grass blades tickle your feet, the whiff of food trucks hits your nostrils and the sounds of classic rock and Motown music start jogging old memories. The Town of Matthews does all that with its Beats ‘n Bites series at Stumptown Park. The series kicked off last month but you
can still catch performances by Carolina Soul Band (Top 40 and Motown) on April 25 and The Unknown Artist Band (classic rock) on May 30. Music starts at 6 p.m. • When: 5 to 9 p.m. April 25 and May 30 • Where: 120 S. Trade St. • Details: matthewsfun.com Mint Hill: Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park
The Town of Mint Hill, along with EDIFICE, will sponsor the annual Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park, a tribute to an educator and public servant that loved the town and the arts. More than 40 artists will display, demonstrate and sell their handmade items at Mint Hill Veterans Memorial Park. Find oil paintings, pottery, textiles and jewelry. Catch performances by Butler High School (A Cappella and Choir), Legacy Theater and Music Company, and School of Rock. • When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 26 • Where: 8850 Fairview Road • Details: minthillevents.org Mint Hill: Fetching Fun Festival
The Town of Mint Hill’s inaugural Fetching Fun Festival will feature activities catered to your four-legged friends. Bring them to enjoy an afternoon at Mint Hill Founders Park. Walk the newly cut trails, meet the police department’s K9 unit, see pets available
Cotham’s transit bill wins praise By Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – Mayor John Higdon is encouraged by a new bill filed by N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham that would open the door for the Silver Light East to potentially continue as a light rail project.
Kaleidoscope Fest is one of the Town of Waxhaw’s signature events. It highlights arts and cultures from around the world at Downtown Park. Main stage performances feature Afro-Caribbean, Bollywood, Irish, Tahitian/Hawaiian and technical-style dance
Cotham filed House Bill 948, The PAVE Act, on April 10. PAVE stands for Projects for Advancing VehicleInfrastructure Enhancements. “Rep. Tricia Cotham has put forth an alternate transit bill called the PAVE Act, which is in my estimation a great improvement over Sen. (Vickie) Sawyer’s bill because it would allow additional funding beyond 40% to be allocated to light rail,” Higdon told colleagues April 14. “So from that standpoint, it’s a much better bill.” Higdon said Matthews would have to convince other leaders in Mecklenburg County to support this bill as opposed to the other legislation that puts a 40% cap on transit projects if voters approve a 1-cent sales tax. The LYNX Red Line from Uptown Charlotte to Lake Norman has been identified as the priority among transit projects, leaving limited funding for other projects under a 40% transit cap. The Charlotte Area Transit System has been getting input from the community about how to proceed with other projects like the Silver Line East from Uptown Charlotte to Matthews and the Blue Line extension into Pineville and Ballantyne. Three of the four scenarios shared with the public involve converting the Silver Line East into a Bus Rapid Transit line. Cotham’s bill not only allows for increased transit funding, but also calls for a value engineering study on the Silver Line East as a light rail line. This would allow for a study of funding options, including “additional local taxes or fees not currently authorized, including additional sales taxes, taxes on parking facilities and
Story continues, see FESTIVALS page 3A
Story continues, see LIGHT RAIL page 3A
Festivals have alien, dog & food truck themes Communities in western Union County have built spring festivals around relatable themes such as aliens, arts, dogs, food and movies. The best part is you don’t have to make tough decisions about which one to go to – you can catch them all without having to teleport. We included three of the Matthews-Mint Hill festivals published last week to balance out the list.
Envision Matthews plan,” Freeman said. Freeman envisions a traffic nightmare in that area when you also factor a proposed 64-unit townhome project across the street and a senior independent living center being developed behind the Lidl. The town and a consultant are still reviewing the traffic impact analysis. That review will be done by the time the planning board reviews the request. The town’s transportation advisory committee recommends two changes: • The driveway to Margaret Wallace Road should have two exit lanes (a thru left and a right) and one entrance lane. • Require a 10-foot sidewalk along Margaret Wallace Road connecting the site’s sidewalk to the existing sidewalk at Treeside Lane. The development team is pushing back on the sidewalk, noting that 600 feet is on park property and will take a considerable amount of work for potential surveying, regrading, tree clearing and avoiding power lines. Commissioners may decide on this as early as next month.
for adoption from CMPD Animal Care and Control and visit local vendors including veterinary care and dog-themed human treats. • When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 3 • Where: 9801 Brief Road • Details: facebook.com/minthillevents Stallings: The Spring Spectacle
Here’s something you don’t see everyday – an alien invasion. The Town of Stallings is injecting its Spring Spectacle with an alien theme. Stallings Municipal Park will transform into Area 50, where children can engage in space-theme activities, crafts and games – maybe even extraterrestrials. The town is partnering with Monroe Science Center and The Schiele Museum of Natural History as well as hosting food vendors like Boss Lady Lemonade, Hungry Howie’s Pizza and Sauce Southern Smoke. • When: Noon to 4 p.m. April 26 • Where: 340 Stallings Road, Stallings • Details: stallingsnc.org Waxhaw: Kaleidoscope Fest