2006 Green Acres Candidate Questionnaire

Responses by Mayor Heidi Davison

1) What do you consider to be the single most important issue affecting constituents in the 8th district? How do you intend to address this issue?

The single most important issue is encouraging a sustainable mix of business, residential, and recreational development. As a former resident of the east side I know that a nice balance of housing, commercial, educational, natural areas, and parks currently exists within the district, contributing to the area's distinctive personality and creating for residents a sense of community. It also includes a number of developable areas, including some for which adaptive reuse is a very viable and necessary strategy for managing the threat posed by unrestrained development. We should also continue to seek out transportation improvements that allow for greater connectivity, mobility and accessibility for all.

2) What can the ACC Commission do to help preserve the quality of life in 8th district neighborhoods?

Preserving our neighborhoods is critical to a healthy community. The Community Protection Division, in collaboration with the Police Department, has been diligent in cracking down on quality of life code violations. I fully support these efforts.

Avoiding the often-haphazard development patterns of the past will also preserve and enhance the quality of life in the neighborhoods. Currently there are a number of areas, such as older shopping centers, that are ripe for redevelopment. Good quality redevelopment here has the potential to reduce both traffic and pollution and improve safety along the major corridors and on neighborhood streets. Residents of the 8th district would benefit from additional opportunities to walk, bike, and make short auto trips for shopping and recreation. Increased bus service is also needed to combat congestion and improve air quality. Traffic calming measures should be given increased consideration.

3) What do you see as the most important environmental issue facing ACC and the 8th district, and how would you plan to address it?

Environmental issues are interconnected, so it is difficult to single out one. Perhaps no area in the county has suffered more than District 8 from rapid expansion, which has resulted in extensive tree loss and increased automobile use, both of which diminish our air quality. Water quality is also threatened by increased development. A tree ordinance and a mass grading ordinance were recently passed to address the loss of tree canopy. Increased enforcement of the erosion and sedimentation ordinance with more stringent punishment has helped address stormwater run-off problems. An integrated, multi-modal transportation network should be developed to address the issue of traffic congestion and its negative effects on air quality.

4) What is your vision for Cedar Shoals Drive and how would you seek to implement this vision?

Cedar Shoals Drive presents a rare opportunity to develop a fully integrated community center. A great many components – retail, professional, office, and a variety of residential uses – are already in place, though quite a few are less than perfect, with some nearing the end of their useful lives. Residents requested that an overlay for the corridor be explored, which I support. Community meetings should be held, in the form of a charette, to help envision and design the corridor.

My vision: I see Cedar Shoals Drive as a lovely boulevard with sidewalks or multi-use paths running down both sides of the street tying together the neighborhoods along Whit Davis Road with the amenities along Barnett Shoals/Gaines School roads. Traffic calming measures will have been implemented to slow down the moving traffic making it safer for everyone.

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