Farm Pond Community Engagement Boards

8/7/2019 Farm Pond Community Engagement Boards

1/5Farm

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Where

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Context

Farm Pond

SignifcantPolice Events

Foreclosures

Legend

1 Armed Robbery

1 Assault with a Deadly Weapon

1 Missing Person

Legend

8.85% - 10.05%

10.08% - 14.61%

Legend

ForeclosureProperty

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HickoryGrove Road

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Large number of Foreclosures High Percentage of Renters

Young and DiversePopulation

Unstable Property Values

Signicant Crimes Unemployment


2/5Farm

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History

Summary

Where is Farm Pond?The City of Charlotte describes Farm Pond as a NeighborhoodStatistical Area bounded by Hickory Grove Road to thenorth, East WT Harris Boulevard to the east (Highway 24),Albemarle Road to the south, and Farm Pond Lane to thewest.

Farm Pond was once an incorporated part of MecklenburgCounty, called Crab Orchard Township. Crab Orchardstretched from Old Concord Road to Monroe Road andincluded a small community called Hickory Grove, which iswhere Farm Pond is today.

What is the history of FarmPond?John Orr Plantation

Recorded history datesback to time after the

Civil War. The John OrrPlantation, known as OrrQuarters, was located inFarm Pond. Althoughthere is little historyabout the Orr Quarters,

after emancipation, the land was divided up and given to theslaves. One of the slaves, Alexander Orr, received land locatedoff Hickory Grove Road. He raised thirteen children andthen divided the property among them. One of the children,Lawrence Orr bought land that is now part of the Farm Pondcommunity. Lawrence Orrs rst home remains on Joh netteDrive, and his grandchildren hope to restore it to retainhistory of the community.

After Emancipation

Lawrence Orr seeing racism an issue,he formed a brotherhoodwith many former slaves. The organization helped to developa voice in the community. The Brotherhood was important ,

because this area had a high concentration of black propertyowners, and they actively participated in life in Hickory Grovecommunity. The Brotherhood helped construct a school forblack students, who previously attended church for education.The school was open for 20 years before being closed.

Hickory Grove Community

Hickory Grove was a small community located around thesquare at Hickory Grove and Delta Road. Many residentswho lived in Hickory Grove fondly remember the close knitcommunity. Residents reminisce about how people lived bythe honor system; store owners trusted that patrons would

return to pay their tab. Many older folks say the town wouldclose down for the July Fourth Parade and other festivals.Historic Charlotte newspaper articles state that the area wasfull of wilderness, country roads, and large ponds, which havesince been drained and graded. Many residents miss the quietand intimate life before Charlotte Annexed Hickory Grove andbuilt Eastland Mall.

Four Seasons Neighborhood Construction

In the 1970s, Charlotte annexed Hickory Grove, althoughmany residents fought it. Annexation of East Sidecommunities cost about $1.6 million. a new mall, Eastlandbecame the local hot spot, so lively that it was hard to ndparking around Christmas.

Erwin Construction built the Four Season neighborhood.

Four Seasons was an attractive neighborhood that gave rsttime home buyers the option of buying a condo or a singlefamily home. Four Seasons patio homes and split-level homesattracted two types of families: those who wanted a moreurban lifestyle with maintenance free common areas, andthose who desired suburban land tracts.

Residents recall the family-friendly Homeowners Association,which offered many amenities like swimming lessons and awell-maintained greenway system. A ballpark, which is nownearly impossible to access, was built in Campbell Creek Park.Many residents enjoyed playing games there on weekends,and children played in the streets. Residents even went shingin a pond where the Wallace Creek neighborhood is today.

East Side Decline

Between 1980 and 1990, Residents attribute the decline tothe phenomenon of IBM employees purchasing propertiesin Farm Pond and the concurrent revitalization of Uptown

Charlotte. The mass purchase of Farm Pond properties by out-of-town-ers led to many homes becoming rental properties.

Residents also believe that bad lending practices in th e 1980sand 1990s led low-income residents to believe that t heycould own homes. The bad loans caused many foreclosuresin Farm Pond. Many Farm Pond residents recall that at rstthe changing demographic shift in Farm Pond was not aproblem. However, it became clear that the neighborhood hadchanged when apartment rents declined from $900 per monthto around $400 to $500. Break-ins and shootings becamecommonplace, and the Four Season Homeowners Associationhomeowners selling to absentee landlords.

HickoryGroveRoad

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armPondLn

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Foreclosures


Foreclosures

Legend1. Four Seasons Greenway and CampbellCreek Park

2. Hickory Grove Baptist Church

Bus Stops with 10 minute walking

radius

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Craigwood

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Opportunities Challenges Challenges

Farm Pond is already well servedby transit. The Campbell CreekPark connects to the Four Seasonsgreenway (1) and walking trails.If extended, the greenway couldreach transit on Albemarle Rd. Hickory Grove Baptist Church(2) is another major landholder in the area that could connectinner homes to transit.

Challenges in Farm Pond include crime,foreclosures, the high percentage of renters,and out-of-state ownership. As this mapshows, there is no clear correlation betweenareas with high foreclosures, signicant policeevents, and renters.

This map shows that there is no clearcorrelation between areas with absenteelandlords and signicant police events.A lack of clear relationship also existsbetween concentrations of rentalproperties with absentee landlords andforeclosures.

3 miles

Farm Pond

Uptown

Charlotte

Map of Crab Orchard Township (A. Morwell)

Schoolhouse (A. Morwell)

Lawrence Orr (A. Morwell)

Eastland Mall Opening Day (A. Morwell)

J.L. Carter Store (A. Morwell)


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Process

First Farm Pond Neighborhood Meeting

On October 2 2010 at the Hickory Grove Public Library,

students at UNC Charlotte facilitated a meeting of residentsfrom Farm Pond and adjacent neighborhoods. More than20 people attended the meeting, with most attendees beinghomeowners in Farm Pond.

The purpose of the rst meeting was to gauge interest inand facilitate the creation of a neighborhood association.During the meeting, attendees introduced themselves anddescribed where they live in the neighborhood and howlong they had lived there for. The conversation during thismeeting principally focused on the level of crime in FarmPond.

Dr. Janni Sorensen from the University of North Carolinaat Charlotte was present at the meeting to help facilitate.Virginia Spykerman (candidate for the Board of CityCommissioners), Katie Lewis (Charlotte Mecklenburg PoliceDepartment Hickory Grove Community Coordinator), andKim Barnes (City of Charlotte) also attended the meeting.

Second Farm Pond NeighborhoodMeeting

On November 6 2010 at th e Hickory Grove Public Library,students at UNC Charlotte facilitated a second meeting ofresidents from Farm Pond and adjacent neighborhoods.More than 23 people attended the meeting, with mostattendees being retired homeowners in Farm Pond.

The purpose of th e meeting was to maintain momentumin Farm Pond for neighborhood organizing, to continue tocommunicate to residents about City of Charlotte servicesin Farm Pond, and to learn about Farm Pond issues andconcerns from residents.

Katie Lewis (Charlotte Mecklenburg Police DepartmentHickory Grove Community Coordinator), Eugene Bradley(City of Charlotte), and Martina Jones (Community Activist)attended the meeting and made presentations.

Third Farm Pond Neighborhood Meeting

On December 11 2010 at the Hickory Grove Public Library,

students at UNC Charlotte facilitated a third meeting ofresidents from Farm Pond and adjacent neighborhoods.Approximately 20 people attended the meeting,representing a broader spectrum of Farm Pond residents,such as people from Eagle Woods, Wallace Creek, and thehomes above Four Seasons Homeowners Association.

The purpose of the meeting was to re-examine the purposeof the Farm Pond Neighborhood Association, identify goalsfor the community, brainstorm actions to reach goals, andgather ideas for possible activities to undertake during 2011.

Unlike previous meetings, the discussion with residentsshifted away from crime frustration with youth, renters, andunkept properties. Instead, residents vocalized a willingnessto act in Farm Pond and a desire to start doing something.

Four Seasons HOA Annual GeneralMeeting

On November 20 2010 at the Four Seasons Club House(5050 Farm Pond Lane) Four Seasons HomeownersAssociation held their Annual General Meeting.

Four Seasons Homeowners Association was one ofCharlottes original HOAs, with bylaws that were imitatedthroughout the state.

After having experienced setbacks in the HomeownersAssociation, such as the disappearance of the Associationsreserve funds, Four Seasons HOA is re-assessing itsposition, improving the appearance of the neighborhood,and re-establishing leadership in the neighborhood.

Eagle Woods Movie Night

To ensure that Farm Fond is becoming a socially integratedneighborhood, a community activist, Martina Jones, and

her family have been hosting events in their home to get toknow their neighbors.

M. Jones began Friday movie nights as a way to engageyouth in her neighborhood and get them off the streets.Movie Nights have been held in October and November andhave focused on building respect between youth and theCharlotte Mecklenburg Police Department

These 2-hour events are a great time for kids to socialize,meet role models in their community, and enter a warm andloving atmosphere..

Eagle Woods Apartment Complex Party

As a pilot project to bring the Farm Pond NeighborhoodAssociation to apartment residents, Judith Gamboa

organized a party at the Eagle Woods Clubhouse onDecember 10, 2010.

The Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP) providedrefreshments, Power 98 played great music, and CharlotteMecklenburg Parks and Recreation kindly lent the projectleam tables. T

The event was a great way t o celebrate neighborliness andraise awareness about the Neighborhood Association.Involving local businesses and giving residents more noticeahead of time would be ways to encourage more people toattend future events.

6 AM

9 AM

Noon

3 PM

6 PM

9 PM

Midnight

Gettin

grea

dyfor

work

Going

toScho

ol

Sleeping

Upwith

thebaby

Home

schooling

Aslee

pSho

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Busine

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Ope

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Breakfa

st

Walking

Working

Lunc

hatS

unris

eCafe

Cleaning

Lunch

Runn

ingerran

dsto

busin

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s

onAlbe

marle

Road

Going

toDollar

Tree

McDo

nalds

Teddys

Pizza

Gettinghomefromschool

Runningerrands

Walkingthedogs

Dinnertime

WatchingTV

Gettinghomefromwork

Homework

Insch

oolWo

rkingin

Hunte

rsville

Cookingandeatingdinner

Sleeping

Waitin

gfor

thebaby

toslee

p

Lettin

gthe

dogs

out

SleepingLis

tening

togun

sho

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Midnight to 6 AM

- Sounds of gunshots- Lots of youth and bad guys

roaming the neighborhood inthe middle of the street

Day in the Life in Farm PondCommunity Feedback

HickoryGrove Road

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68 10

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During the Second Community Meeting, community memberstold us about Farm Pond during a mapping exercise. Theblue area approximates what community members perceiveto be Farm Ponds boundaries. Some people also consideredthe area south of Albemarle Road to be Farm Pond, too. Thered outlined areas are generally considered to be dangerous.The orange lines represent the Four Seasons greenway trails,which are considered a great community asset.

The following sites were

labelled as memorable assetsto the community:

1. Hickory Grove Library

2. BB&T

3. Hickory Grove Baptist Church

4. Campbell Creek Park

5. Four Seasons Club House

6. McDonalds7. Bi-Lo

8. Bank of America

9. Sunrise Cafe

10. Post Ofce

11. Cookout, Taco Bell, KFC

This diagram represents community feedback from theSecond Community Meeting regarding what a typical day islike for residents in Farm Pond.


4/5Farm

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Vision, Goals, and Actions

Vision

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Accountability

Maintenance&

Beautifcation

Friendliness

Safety

Resources


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Resources

Case

Studies

Resources

inCharlo

tte

Casa Familiar, San DiegoNon-prot mediator within community,architectural practice, & one-stop shop for serviceproviders. Literal and social community builder.

Hispanic Housing DevelopmentCorporation, Chicago

Provides people with both new and renovatedhomes. Develops and manages real estate.

Portland Hotel Society, VancouverCanada

Long-term housing for people suffering frommental illness and addiction. Property developer.

ArtSpace, Minneapolis

Creates and maintains affordable live-work

space for artists. Property development, assetmanagement, and consulting.

United Neighborhood Organization,Chicago

Grassroots empowerment, outreach, activism, andcommunity revitalization.

Collingwood Neighborhood House,Vancouver Canada

Multicultural exchanges and community building.

House Charlotte

Up to $7,500 in downpayment assistancefor qualied home buyers in transitioningneighborhoods.

Home Ownership RehabilitationProgram

Low interest loans to low and moderate incomehomeowners to address code violations and repairs

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Coalitionfor Housing

Program to help house homeless population

Neighborhood Matching Grant

Quarterly grant program to revitalize challengedand transitioning neighborhoods throughdeveloping partnerships.

Energy Grant Program

5 communities chosen each year to implementenergy efciency strategies.

Mayors Youth EmploymentProgram

Internships for youth aged 16 to 18

Business Investment ProgramGrant

Creation, expansion, and retention of new andexisting businesses.

Business District OrganizationProgram

$30,000 matching grant to encourage businessesto work togetther for mutual benet

Facade Improvement Grant

Remove blight and improved commercialenvironment by imrpoving signage, parking, andlandscaping

Big Box Demolition Grant

Grant for up to 50% of total project cost todemolish big box sites that have been vacant atleast 2 years

Security Grant

Matching funds for the installation of eligiblesecurity improvements to commercial property

Community University

Trains students to become better advocates forthemselves. Provides tools to improve & maintainlocal community and businesses organizations.

Farm Pond Community Engagement Boards

Documents

Transcript of Farm Pond Community Engagement Boards