NEWS

Ribbon cutting at the dedication of the new Town of Davidson Public Safety building.

As the Town of Davidson’s elected officials, staff, and advisory boards prepare for the demands of 2025, below is a brief recap of developments and accomplishments in town government in 2024.

At the year’s final Town board meeting on December 10, Austin Nantz, Assistant Town Manager, presented a compilation of significant achievements and news-making events in the Town of Davidson during the year.

Nantz noted numerous significant achievements in each of seven categories identified in the Town’s Strategic Plan:  Healthy, Livable, & Vibrant Community, Historic Preservation, Connecting People and Places, Affordable Living, Equity & Inclusion, Sustainability and Natural Assets, Economic Development, and Operational.

The following are some highlights of note:

New Faces at Town Hall

2024 ushered in some changes to Davidson’s Board of Commissioners and Town Staff.

New Commissioner Steve Justus began serving in January. Also in January, the Town faced the sudden resignation of Town Commissioner Matthew Dellinger who gave up his seat because of a move outside of Davidson’s boundaries. In March, after a two-month review of many candidates, Commissioner Ted Stauffer was chosen by a unanimous vote of the board to fill Dellinger’s unexpired term

In May, the Town hired Alexander Cahill as the Affordable Housing and Equity Director. The position is integral to meeting town goals, as the town has continually identified Affordable Living as a priority goal in Strategic Plans since 2021.

Austin Nantz noted that human resources had onboarded 32 employees in 2024. There were new hires in the Police Department, the Fire Department, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Maintenance, and Communications.

Red Line Vote

In September, after many discussions and opportunities for public input, the board unanimously endorsed a resolution supporting a countywide referendum for a sales tax increase, joining with other Mecklenburg County Towns, City of Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County.

While the vote to support the referendum is momentous and exciting for the Town, there is a long way to go before the Red Line can become a reality for North Mecklenburg. If the N.C. General Assembly approves a county-wide referendum on a sales tax increase, the referendum will be placed on the November 2025 ballot for a vote by Mecklenburg County residents. If approved, the 1-cent tax increase would begin in the summer of 2026. That would kickstart fundraising for the project, which includes funds for local road projects, but work on the Red Line tracks will take years. Estimates indicate that it could take 8-10 years before Red Line trains will be running.

Davidson’s Co-Responder Program Wins Regional Award

In 2021, the Town of Davidson was the first of the North Mecklenburg municipalities to implement a Co-Responder Program. Davidson’s co-responder, a highly trained First Responder, works with the Davidson Police Department to assess whether law enforcement action is the best response to a 911 call, or whether community-based services focused on mental health, substance abuse, or crisis intervention would be a more appropriate response. The goal is to ensure the proper response to 911 calls and discern what services are needed to resolve problems that might require continuing intervention and support.

Koa Goode is Davidson’s co-responder. Goode has a master’s degree in clinical social work and has extensive experience in child protection, family stabilization, and crisis intervention. Austin Nantz noted that she was thrilled that the town was able to make the co-responder position a full-time town employee position in 2024.

In 2024, the Centralina Regional Council awarded the Town of Davidson a Region of Excellence Award in the category of ‘Improving of Quality of Life’ for its co-responder program. The award is presented to communities that “aspire to enable all people with the amenities, services, and opportunities they need to thrive.”

Ribbon Cutting for new Davidson Public Safety Building

In February of 2024, the town celebrated the opening of the Davidson Public Safety Building at 216 Main Street. The former town hall building at 216 Main Street was renovated to house the expanded Police Headquarters and Fire Station. Renovations on the Public Safety Building began after the opening of the new Davidson Town Hall & Community Center in the rehabilitated Davidson school building at 251 South Street.

The improved Police and Fire Department spaces in the facility will help to serve the Davidson population for years to come, with room to continue growing.

Affordable Housing Highlights

In addition to hiring a new Affordable Housing and Equity Director, the Town continued to focus on efforts to sustain and improve existing affordable housing for Davidson residents and to provide access to new affordable housing in the face of increasingly tight and costly housing and rental markets. The town began the process of analyzing the use of town-owned land as potential sites for additional affordable housing units, and received an $850,000 Housing and Urban Development grant for land acquisition to build new affordable housing.

In 2024, the board approved an updated Affordable Housing Plan (AHP) for the Hoke Townhomes Development project, known as Parkside Commons. The first sale of eight Parkside townhomes has been completed and the second sale is in progress.

The town focused attention in 2024 on helping to maintain existing affordable housing by assisting residents with home repair. In 2024, the town established the Urgent Home Repair Program and re-branded the former Critical Home Repair program to Essential Home Improvement, adding a local partnership to the program.

Parks and Recreation Completes Ten-Year-Master Plan

Davidson’s Parks and Recreation completed their ten-year master plan update with extensive public engagement. As a result, the town has an updated plan that will guide activities and assist in applying for grants to support the town’s vital programs and recreational spaces.

Trees, Trees, Trees

In 2024, the Town finalized a Tree Canopy Master Plan, updated the Town’s Tree ordinances, continued the Tree Canopy Enhancement Grant Program, and continued the popular “Ask the Arborist” Program with town arborist, Andrew Sileo.

Historic Preservation and Signage

In December 2024, the town voted to proceed with plans for an adaptive reuse of the historic Sloan House. Additionally, the board voted to grant historic landmark status to the Armour Street Mill House. The town board also voted to approve the Historic Gymnasium Rehabilitation Contract with Balfour Beatty. Once the contract is executed, work on renovating the historic gymnasium is planned to start in January 2025 with a substantial completion date of February 2026.

Historic District Street Signs now mark significant places throughout the town. In 2025, a focus will be the Lakeside Neighborhood signs and storytelling efforts.

Increasing Engagement by Re-Starting Commissioner Chats

After a hiatus, the Town has reinvigorated the Commissioner Chats. The scheduled chats take the Commissioners out into the community to meet with constituents. The first of the new chat sessions was in September at Davidson Point. There was a second one in November at Ada Jenkins. Nantz says there is momentum and buzz around the chats and there are more scheduled for January through May of 2025.

To read more about the Town’s 2024 Annual Accomplishments, the full report presented by Austin Nantz can be accessed here.