| Director's Report March 14, 2005
1. Staff has spent considerable time during the past month devising a preservation solution for the Croft Filling Station, which is currently located at the intersection of Old Statesville Road and Alexanderana Road.
The building, which has been declared eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, has come under scrutiny because a major road widening is planned for Old Statesville Road which will require the removal of the building. It is not a local historic landmark. Many local constituencies, including Hendricks Motors (the owner), Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, the Town of Huntersville, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Schools, support the road widening. The North Carolina Department of Transportation would most likely not widen the road to its full width unless a preservation solution is developed.
2. The Town of Matthews has been working closely with the staff on two related projects. The first is the Bost House on West John Street. The Town has requested that the house be processed for historic landmark designation in hopes that this step will encourage the preservation of the property. The other project is the Clark House, which the Town of Mattews owns. The Town is working with Lat Purser Associates to make the house part of a commercial development on the site. Bryan Turner has visited the site and is developing restoration cost estimates.
3. Two Center City properties are being processed for historic landmark designation. They are: Hovis Funeral Home and the Standard Oil Service Station. Staff had planned to move forward with processing the Alpha Cotton Mill Village. However, negotiations are underway with the Charlotte Housing Authority to see if a representative sample of the mill houses can be saved, most likely on a new site. Staff believes that these negotiations would not be helped by bringing the Alpha Cotton Mill Village before the City Council at this time.
4. The Bathesda School should be moved to Rural Hill in the very near future. Bryan Turner has been overseeing the project. This will be an important addition to Rural and will open up many possibilities for historic interpretation.
5. Grubb Properties is moving forward with its mixed used development at the corner of Sharon Road and Colony Road. The Lloyd Presbyterian Church Cemetery will become part of the open space for the project. Staff will be working closely with Grubb Properties to devise an appropriate interpretation scheme for the site.
6. County staff is developing a recommended budget for the Historic Landmarks Commission. One of the options is a "no property tax" budget, which would mean that 40 percent of the operational budget of the Commission would not be funded (60 percent of the operational budget comes from Demolition Permit Fees). Staff will keep you advised as this matter moves forward. 7. Staff has devoted considerable time during the past month to a possible purchase of the Grace A.M.E. Zion Church. Information about this item will be presented to the Commission under the Projects Committee Report. 8. Talks continue with the Town of Pineville about how the completed survey of the town's historic resources can impact public policy. Respectfully submitted,
Dan L. Morrill, Consulting Director
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