Neighborhood meeting

You’re invited to a neighborhood meeting to learn more about construction plans for this project.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department’s construction of the Phase II Briar Creek Sewer Improvement project is under way. Phase I of this sewer project was completed in the summer of 2011. Phase II runs north of Randolph Road from the Mint Museum to Country Club Drive.

This CMUD project will upgrade and improve existing wastewater pipelines along Briar Creek to reduce the risk of sewer overflows, provide increased capacity for present and future needs, and protect the water quality in Briar Creek. This neighborhood meeting is for residents and businesses along the route from Randolph Road to Independence Boulevard.

Phase II public meeting
     Thursday, March 28, 2013
     Drop in between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
     Chantilly Montessori School
     701 Briar Creek Road, Charlotte, NC  28205

For more information about this sewer improvement project:
     www.cmutilities.com (Click on “construction,” then “Briar Creek Improvements”

For questions, contact:
     Cam Coley of CMUD at ccoley@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Wildlands Engineering is a private, local company that is designing the future of the former Doral/Cavalier site. Shawn and Aaron are the lead designers and have this to say:

“Wildlands Engineering is excited to be working on this high profile project. We are committed to developing an innovative design that provides ecological and water quality enhancements. A key part of that design is connecting Chantilly’s neighborhoods, schools, natural areas and communities.”

Design work is expected to continue through the summer of 2013.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department (CMUD) has an important role in the Chantilly Project.

Construction for Phase II of the Briar Creek Sewer Improvement Project began in April 2012. Oscar Renda Contracting is the contractor for the sewer project. It starts south of Randolph Road, follows Briar Creek to Independence Boulevard and will end at Country Club Drive. Construction of this phase is expected to take 24 months.

Sewer work at the old Doral/Cavalier site as well as the Chantilly neighborhood along Briar Creek is expected to begin in the spring of 2013.

Phase I of the project was completed in 2011. It runs from the Sugar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant near Tyvola and Park Roads to Randolph Road at the Mint Museum. When the final segment (Phase III) of this project is finished, this new relief sewer project will enhance system performance, provide increased sewer capacity for present and future needs, and protect the water quality in Briar Creek.

Residents and businesses near the project route can learn more about CMUD’s construction plans through newsletters and other mailings, by visiting the project website at www.cmutilities.com (click on “construction”) and at neighborhood meetings. A neighborhood meeting for the Chantilly area will be coordinated before construction begins in this section next year.

To receive CMUD project updates via email, please send your name, property address and email address to akirkpatrick@carolina.pr.com.

Some people have asked if we plan to mow the Cavalier side of the site.

We will not regularly mow the Cavalier side because we don’t want people to assume it’s a public park. The site is not a public park. It is simply open space.

Grass on the Doral side will be mowed monthly because it is closest to the remaining apartments.

During the next couple of years, the publicly-owned land on both sides of Briar Creek will be a construction site. Improvements to the site are taking place in phases, starting with the CMUD sewer line this year. During construction, it is not practical to maintain the open space as if it was a public park.

Thanks for being patient and understanding.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services Project Manager David Goode says:

“We want this to be a showcase.”

Goode spoke on April 25 to about two dozen neighbors at a meeting about the Chantilly Project.

He described plans to restore Briar Creek and a section of Edwards Branch. Stream restoration improves water quality and restores habitat for wildlife and aquatic life.

Design on the water quality projects begins this summer. Construction will start in 2013 and be completed in a year or two. First, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilty Department is installing a sanitary sewer line along Briar Creek. Sewer line work is beginning now.

The future of the Chantilly project is exciting! The past is pretty noteworthy, too. But not in a good way. The Doral and Cavalier apartments, on either side of Briar Creek, were:

“The most flood-prone buildings with the highest cumulative flood losses in Mecklenburg County.”

Flood damage at Doral/Cavalier from 1997 to 2008 was approximately $15 million.

Storm Water Services bought the apartments and tore them down.

1997 flood

• All of Cavalier in 2008
• Half of Doral in 2011

62% of the money for buyouts came from federal grants.

After the buyouts:

• 24 acres of open space along Briar Creek
• Will be used to create features to improve water quality and provide opportunities for recreation and education.

We know that a lot of people are going to be interested in what happens at the old Doral/Cavalier apartments site. So, Storm Water Services has decided to publish this blog to serve as a clearing house of information. From time time news and updates will be here. This blog will not be monitored 24 hours a day but will be monitored often.

Welcome!

Find out what’s planned along Briar Creek near Monroe Road.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

6pm

Chantilly Montessori School gymnasium

701 Briar Creek Road, Charlotte, NC 28205

We want your input on proposals to:

• restore 3,300 feet of Briar Creek and Edwards Branch
• add features to the floodplain to improve water quality in the stream
• increase recreational opportunities at Chantilly Park and with a greenway trail
• provide outdoor educational opportunities for nearby students.

Information on the sewer line now under construction will be available at the meeting. This project is a partnership of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department, Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.