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University City Seeks Unity Before I-485 Cuts
Through
Summit, Academy Aim to Train Future Leaders
By Celeste Smith, Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 1B
Its schools are big. Its land is being eyed by developers. And leaders fear the last leg to be built of the outerbelt
will divide it.
That's why University City leaders want to become unified now to speak up for what the area wants.
Plans are in the works to start a leadership academy in 2005 - starting with a summit Feb. 15 for residents wanting
to play a broader role in the community.
Members of the University City Community Building Project want to train residents with the background they need
to understand topics that will affect the area the most in the next few years - including schools, land being developed
around 485, and transportation.
Grass-roots leaders haven't hesitated to make themselves heard - such as challenging developers on the quality
and location of proposed neighborhoods, for example.
Summit organizers want to bring that energy together.
"Strong leadership is going to be important," said project member Kevin Toomb, marketing director for
First Charter Bank. "(We) need a coordinated effort, not just one neighborhood here or one developer there."
By bringing potential leaders together, summit organizers hope to bring unity to an area that lacks formal boundaries
and is known instead for its big-box stores and landmarks like UNC Charlotte, University Research Park and Lowe's
Motor Speedway.
Leaders in the area define the University City area as a broad "v" shape starting at the N.C. 49/U.S.
29 split and spreading into northeast Mecklenburg and western Cabarrus counties, encompassing parts of Charlotte,
Concord and Harrisburg.
Future outerbelt exits 23 through 31 could divide the northeast part of their region, warns Michael DeVaul, project
member and community vice president at the University YMCA.
"Typically on the outside of the beltway is the suburbs, and the inside is the city. We could split ourselves
also without knowing it," DeVaul said.
University City advocates say they need an official voice on regional matters, including:
- Making sure University City remains included in future plans
for Mecklenburg County's first light-rail corridor, which eventually will extend to University City.
- Ensuring that area schools like Vance High and Martin Middle,
plagued with crowding problems over the years, succeed.
"We have naturally diverse schools and we have to make sure the schools are working," said DeVaul.
"If they're not working here, that would give other people an excuse to not want them."
- Keeping track of development. Land reviews show 50 percent
of available land in University City hasn't been tapped, DeVaul said.
"That's a scary notion," he said. "It can develop in a way that has little community input and people
don't find favorable."
Without leaders influencing policies, notes Laura Abiodun, co-chair of the building project, "anything can
happen to you."
University City is two-thirds white, one-fourth
black, 4.3 percent Asian and 3.6 percent Hispanic.
It has residents who shop and play where they live: 90 percent do most of their shopping in the area, 60 percent
participate in recreational activities there. About 33 percent work in the area.
Leadership Summit
The University City Community Building Project's
summit is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon at UNC Charlotte, Barnhardt Student Activity Center.
It is supported by First Charter, United Way and the Foundation for the Carolinas, in collaboration with the University
City Area Council.
For information, please contact the UCCPB at uccbp@ymcacharlotte.org
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8100 Old Mallard Creek Road