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CharlotteStories.com story on Catalyst Project is WRONG! A story appeared yesterday on the CharlotteStories.com website that has sparked up a bit of swirl in Davidson.

The story opened with this paragraph.
"The Town of Davidson is in the final planning stages of their new 3.5 acre catalyst project that will be built on top of the municipal facilities between the North and South Main Street areas."

It ends with this paragraph.

"The town will most likely need to pass a multi-million dollar bond referendum to help pay for the massive new project. Leaders are now working with UNC’s School of Government, to determine the type of private/public partnership that will be required to finance the new development."

In the middle were a few more paragraphs that seem to be random plucking of disconnected bits of information on the highly controversial project.

See the full story here.

Taken all together it gives the impression the project is a done deal.

So, it seemed like a good idea to check with the town itself.

Public Information Officer, Christina Shaul had this to say.

"I can’t tell who wrote this piece, where they got their information, or how current it is --  it contains many inaccuracies."

That should be good news to most Davidson residents who seem to overwhelmingly oppose the project - particularly at the scale it has been presented.  However, it should also be noted it was a supposedly "incorrect" article last fall that sparked the initial controversy which has brought much needed focus from town residents.

Shaul goes on to say...

"On March 22, Economic Development Manager Kim Fleming gave an update on the Downtown Catalyst Feasibility Study to the Davidson Board of Commissioners, after the town hosted several well-attended roundtable discussions with over 275 citizens. The mayor and commissioners now need to discuss next steps and provide guidance on how town staff should proceed. We will continue to seek input from citizens."

So, Davidson residents who are rightfully on edge about the project, shouldn't go over the edge just yet.

Per the town, groundbreaking isn't imminent - regardless of what you might have read.
Posted by Rick Short at 5:11 PM Labels: Catalyst Project, Davidson, Town Hall


