By: Kelley Brake

I was asked to share the email I sent to the Board after last week’s meeting. Here it is:

To All,

I am writing to you today to make my voice heard in regards to the proposed hotel beside CSD. First of all, please note that I am not speaking on behalf of CSD Administration. I am speaking up as a concerned citizen of Davidson and CSD parent.

I have attended 4 meetings regarding this hotel and, after last night, I wonder why. What a waste of time the “public input” sessions are. Residents of Westside Terrace, Spinnaker Cove as well as CSD parents and other Davidson citizens were promised that our concerns would be presented to the board, which did not happen. Shame on you, Trey, for misleading us and wasting our time. Since you, our elected officials, have only heard from one side on this issue, let me fill you in for the rest of us. Here are some of the concerns that have been voiced at meetings:
The biggest concern by far from all citizens is for the safety of our children. A hotel by nature brings with it people from out of town. People who are not familiar with our traffic patterns and car pool schedules. People who do not have a local/vested interest in the welfare of our children (both at the two schools and in the surrounding communities). People who could be pedophiles, watching our children playing in the school yard. People who could take our kids off the streets and leave town without a trace.

Increased traffic congestion throughout the day, as hotel patrons come and go as they please, as opposed to business persons who have more predictable schedules that residents can plan around.

Increased noise and light pollution for residents of Spinnaker Cove and Westside Terrace. Hotel guests would have their room lights on into the night, beaming into Davidson residents’ homes.

Reduction in land and home values for the surrounding communities.

Lack of respect for residents of Westside Terrace, as all development in their backyard impacts their daily lives.

The need for another hotel in Davidson. With Patel of Homewood Suites being the only one who has provided a needs analysis, all citizens question the need for a 115 room hotel, particularly at this location.

I know that this is not an all-encompassing list of concerns, and I cannot speak for everyone, but these are concerns that WERE NOT addressed last night. Sitting in that meeting, one would think that everyone in town is all for a hotel and is solely concerned about the width of the sidewalks and the number of saplings that will be planted to create a visual buffer.

Our concern for our children has nothing to do with sidewalks and on street parking. It has to do with the issues that come about as a result of putting a hotel next to a school and an established community.

No one….not one person…affiliated with CSD is enraged over the parking lot. They don’t own it and they would never lobby to keep access to it. The owner has every right to sell his land. We, the parents of CSD kids, just DO NOT want a hotel on that property. Everyone I have spoken to would rather see the original 2 commercial buildings go in there. Business people would likely be local (or more local). They would be familiar with the circles, would know how to navigate our streets and would know the carpool schedules. They would come and go on a predictable schedule that residents could plan around. They would have more of an interest in the welfare of our children. It would be no different than the businesses in the Valspar building adjacent to Davidson Day. I am sure that none of the parents at DDS have to worry about men looking out the window of their office at their children with their pants down, the way we would with a hotel next door.

If you read the FAQ on this project’s website, it sites a sampling of police calls to Homewood Suites as an example of what we could expect at the new Hyatt Place. Homewood Suites, which is not located adjacent to an elementary school is their only point of reference. And, examples of police call include 1. a marijuana pipe, 2. drunk and disorderly, 3. destruction of physical property. I was directed to this document to ease my mind about the safety of my children. WOW!

You, as elected officials who are “the voice of the citizens” should be proud to have a school such as CSD in your town. Did you know that CSD is one of the top 10 charter schools in NC and in the top 100 in the country? Did you know that CSD is not affiliated with a for-profit corporation, run by Jeb Bush, like Langtree Charter? Did you know that the only funding CSD receives comes from the state and can only be used for educational purposes (ie. teachers’ salaries, not on the physical plant)? Did you know that they own nothing and so their hands are tied when it comes to fighting for their space? Did you know that they are trying to sit quietly because they value their place in Davidson and do not want to ruffle any feathers? They might feel like they are not in a position to speak out on behalf of their students, but I can damn sure speak out on behalf of my kids!

All you have to do, as our elected officials, is vote no to the requested amendments to the conditional planning area and this project goes away. It is that simple. I know that the owner wants to sell his land and he would be forced to go back to the drawing board to look for another developer. But, that is neither yours or my problem. You can do the right thing for our children and for the residents of Davidson. But, I fear that your greed will drive you to vote yes because you want that $200,000+ in hospitality tax. Shame on you if you do.

And, all of this information was presented to Trey Akers. He just chose to omit it from his presentation last night.

See you on September 12th.