1

To learn more about the Chantilly Neighborhood Association, visit:

www.iChantilly.org

t has been a great privilege serving the Chantilly neighborhood this year.

I am hopeful that your Chantilly Neighborhood Association will remain a

strong contributor to the quality of life we enjoy in our beautiful corner of

Charlotte. However, your neighborhood still needs your help.

Many thanks to Libby Meiners for heading our neighborhood’s first Adopt-a-city-

street cleanup in June. With a great turnout, including kids of all ages, the cleanup

went smoothly. The next cleanup will be 9 am, Saturday September 26 – meet at the

corner of Shenandoah and Bascom - bags and ‘grabbers’ will be provided.

Neighborhood meetings have been well attended this year. As always, meetings are

strictly limited to one hour or less. We have had a number of interesting speakers,

including: Deputy City Arborist Tim Porter, County Greenway Planner Gwen Cook,

a City Planner, representatives from TreesCharlotte, and many others. At the next

meeting (Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 7 pm 2101 Shenandoah Ave [Chantilly

Hall]), we will have brief presentation from a Charlotte CATS representative about

the LYNX Silver Line - the proposed light rail line from central Charlotte to Matthews.

We will also welcome a representative of Sustain Charlotte (see article from our own

Chantilly resident and Sustain Charlotte founder, Shannon Binns).

Besides our guests, the next meeting will also feature a vote on proposed bylaws for

the neighborhood association. See the article in this newsletter as well as information

on iChantilly.org.

Your neighborhood still needs your help – especially with our tree canopy. See the

prior newsletter and neighborhood website about the fragile status of our aging tree

canopy – and the urgent need to plant new trees now. The City is prepared to plant

trees that we can choose in suitable locations. We are asking interested neighbors to

help the CNA identify locations and preferences for varieties. Please email board@

iChantilly.org if interested.

Another success for the neighborhood has stemmed from recent meetings with

nearby neighborhoods. After meetings with Plaza-Midwood, Commonwealth-

Morningside, Commonwealth Park, and the Plaza Midwood Merchants Association,

Charlotte Department of Transportation agreed to erect the three-way stop sign at

the corner of Pecan and Commonwealth. Also, contacts with Mecklenburg County

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Chantilly Newsletter

President’s CornerBY RICK WINIKER, CNA 2015 BOARD PRESIDENT

CHANTILLY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION I FALL 2015

IIN THIS ISSUE

Chantilly’s Love Affair

with New Construction

Better Bandwidth,

Better Internet

Two Fun, Family-

Friendly Fall Events

From Sustain Charlotte

Vote on proposed

Chantilly Neighborhood

Association Bylaws

2

5

6

7

CHANTILLYNEIGHBORHOOD

MEETINGThursday, Sept 17

at 7 PM2101 Shenandoah Ave

2

“We would be interested in a tear down.” - Chantilly Buyer Client

“You got any off market tear downs Genevieve?” - Builder #6 calling

“Genevieve, what new construction do you know of coming up in Chantilly?” - Buyers Agent

Everyone is on a craze for new, new, new!

Truly though, it is not just Chantilly that is experiencing the new construction come back; it’s all the in-town

neighborhoods. It has taken a couple of growth years since the recession, but new construction is back with a

vengeance. Demand is high and the supply... well, in Chantilly, is almost non-existent. Why?

Chantilly just happens to be a little more affordable than most other established in-town neighborhoods, i.e.

Elizabeth, Dilworth, etc.

Relative to other in-town neighborhoods, Chantilly is small. We only have about 650 homes.

We are a much more private in-town neighborhood than most. We don’t really have cut through streets, and

there are only 4 entrances in and out of the neighborhood.

Many of these “lots” sell without going on the market. As most of you know, there are several builders

in the neighborhood as well as neighbors looking themselves. For instance, Ryan Meeuwsen with Carolina

Craftsman says, “Chantilly is a great neighborhood with a lot of character and potential. With my wife and

I living close by, it is important to us to keep with the charm and appeal of the area. It has also been such a

great experience working with the neighbors of the neighborhood and the support they have given, it just

makes sense to continue bettering the neighborhood!” Ryan just sold one new build on Bay St. and has 2

more coming, scheduled to be complete next year.

All these factors and more play into the lack of inventory in the

neighborhood and, specifically, the lack of new construction.

I see tons of building going on, so what is coming?

If I drive around the neighborhood, I know of 5 neighbors that already live in

the neighborhood and have found property to build on…Chantilly is a hard

neighborhood to leave! But that’s only some of the construction.

The inventory that I know of (4 homes) will deliver early 2016 (if not sold

beforehand).

In my discussions with these builders, they all plan to price over $700k for

brand new homes that will be 3000 sqft or more. And yes, they will get these

prices; remember: demand is high, inventory low. I also know from some of

my conversations with neighbors that are building that several construction

appraisals have come in over $700k. So it seems that if it doesn’t happen by

year end, Chantilly will break the $700k price ceiling in 2016!

So, don’t drink the water, or you might find yourself building a new house!

real estate news

Chantilly’s Love Affair with New Construction

BY GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

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Better Bandwidth, Better InternetBY TIM CHEADLE

For years, if Chantilly residents wanted internet

access, they had one company to call. As we’re

all aware, this has resulted in low bandwidth

options and sometimes terrible customer support.

Thankfully this dilemma has started to change

around the country as new providers get into

new markets and bring some competition, and

Charlotte is right in the middle of the action.

The most exciting news on this front is that we’re

becoming a “gigabit city”. Very few cities around

the country can make this claim. What does this

mean, exactly? The short answer is that we will

have extremely fast download speeds. Downloading a 2-hour movie today takes about 25 minutes; with gigabit it

takes 8 seconds.

Sure, this means fast Netflix and Spotify. It also means that Charlotte has the opportunity to be at the forefront of

technology innovation. Gigabit opens the door for new ideas and companies that can’t exist without a reliably fast

connection to the internet. It also means more ability for people to work remotely, broadening the horizons for

Charlotteans to find a great job that is otherwise out of reach. It may also provide better and cheaper internet access

for low income areas, reducing the “digital divide”.

The biggest news is that Google Fiber is coming to town. Announced back in April, Google is bringing its leading

edge service to Charlotte and will provide gigabit connectivity at very competitive prices. The project is currently

under construction and will likely be available in a year or so. They are rolling out to neighborhoods based on interest,

so please go sign up at the link below if you’re interested. You can even get a free Google Fiber Charlotte t-shirt.

After Google Fiber announced their launch, AT&T responded by rolling out gigabit offerings with their new U-Verse

Gigapower service. Already available in Chantilly, you can sign up for a gigabit connection for around $70 a month

plus taxes. The downside? To get this rate you have to sign up for a year and agree to AT&T seeing your web usage

and search queries so they can sell you personalized ads. You can opt out of this, but you pay about $44 more per

month to do so.

Lastly, our old friend Time Warner Cable has announced that it plans on upgrading existing customers to its new

TWC Maxx, offering speed upgrades on all available plans without a price increase. These upgrades are rolling out

right now, and should be live by the end of the year. With the new service, you will be able to get up to 300 megabit

download speeds, quite an increase from current offerings.

All of this means that Chantilly residents are about to finally have some options to choose from and see a much better

internet experience as a result.

Sign up for Google Fiber and get a free t-shirt:

https://fiber.google.com/cities/charlotte/tshirt/

Tim Cheadle is a web developer and entrepreneur who previously worked as an engineer at Google in San Francisco,

but now resides in Chantilly.

technology

6

events + happenings

Two Fun, Family-Friendly Fall Events From Sustain Charlotte

BY SHANNON BINNS, CHANTILLY RESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF SUSTAIN CHARLOTTE

I moved to Charlotte in 2007, and two years later, after

observing and hearing other Charlotteans’ concerns

about the dramatic decline in our tree canopy, lack of safe

and convenient alternatives to driving, and the rampant

suburban sprawl that underpins these problems, I decided

to launch a nonprofit that would champion smarter growth

of our city. I named it Sustain Charlotte and since 2010 we

have been inspiring choices that lead to a healthier and

more vibrant city for generations to come!

Our dedicated staff of four partner with local neighborhood organizations, government agencies, other nonprofits, and

businesses to tackle some of the most important challenges to our community’s social, economic, and environmental

well-being. To learn more about some of our accomplishments and initiatives, check out sustaincharlotte.org/

initiatives.

This fall we have two great events that I want to share with you, and invite you to take part in! They are both family

friendly, and offer fun opportunities to get active without leaving the city, and do something positive for your

community alongside your friends, family and neighbors.

First, on Saturday, October 17th, we are holding our first annual Biketoberfest! This family friendly event will involve a

scavenger hunt from 3pm-7pm around Center City and South End. Participants will bike, walk, and/or ride to a diversity

of destinations in these parts of our city while obtaining stamps in their official Biketoberfest Passport!

You will then redeem your passport for raffle tickets and each stamp will be good for one raffle ticket. So the more

destinations visited, the more chances to win really cool prizes including a NEW TREK BIKE! At 7:00pm, participants

will come together at Triple C Brewing for an after party with live music, food trucks, and more! Tickets to this event

include a 2015 Biketoberfest t-shirt, entry to the after party at Triple C, one beer, and discounts and prizes from

sponsoring businesses!

Get your tickets now at sustaincharlotte.org/biketoberfest! All proceeds will benefit Sustain Charlotte as the NEW

bicycle, pedestrian, and transit advocacy organization for Charlotte

Second, on Saturday, November 7th, we are celebrating the pilot of our Walk Your Neighborhood initiative, and

Chantilly is one of the neighborhoods we have included in our pilot!

Using a network of creative pedestrian wayfinding signs that will tell you how long it will take to walk to popular

destinations, the Walk Your Neighborhood project aims to increase walking as a form of transportation. Our pilot is

focused on the neighborhoods that are within a one mile or twenty minute walk of the Plaza Midwood business district,

which of course includes Chantilly!

Increased walking as a means of getting to the places you want to go will create more vibrant streets, support local

businesses, highlight unique neighborhood features, and create a greater sense of community, all while improving your

health! So keep your walking shoes handy and mark your calendars now! This will be an exciting community-wide event

with fun activities for the whole family.

Stay tuned to our facebook page (facebook.com/sustaincharlotte) and subscribe to our e-newsletter

(sustaincharlotte.org/emailsignup) to be sure you’re getting our updates for these community events and more!

7

association news

Vote on proposed Chantilly Neighborhood Association Bylaws Thursday September 17, 2015 7:00 pm

BY CHANTILLY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION 2015 BOARD

eighbors, as you know from the newsletter and discussions during past neighborhood meetings, your

2015 neighborhood board, elected in the fall of 2014, endeavored to make sure all neighborhood status

documents were in order and properly up-to-date.

The Chantilly Neighborhood Association, Inc., is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation – incorporated

January 1999. Research revealed it had acquired nonprofit status at one point. However, at some point, the §501(c)(3)

status of CNA had expired. As of April this year, that status was restored. (Please remember to pay your annual dues

to maintain your status as a voting member – consult your tax preparer about any applicable tax deduction – click

‘Membership’ on iChantilly.org)

But a key document does not currently exist in any ‘official’ format – bylaws. Without bylaws, the Association cannot

properly function.

With the help of a team of Chantilly residents (both new and 20 year neighborhood veterans), who are also attorneys

in a variety of legal fields, a Bylaws Committee was formed. Longtime Chantilly neighbor Catherine El-Khouri has

served as committee chair, overseeing the work of Derick Thurman, Kira Rheingrover, David Driscoll, and Rick Winiker.

Molly Putnam and Jonathan Story, your 2015 Secretary and Treasurer, have reviewed drafts and approved the final

changes.

The committee also benefited from the prior research and consultation with a former Plaza-Midwood board member

who was instrumental in the recent revision of the Plaza-Midwood bylaws. The Charlotte School of Law also

contributed a law student who had worked in a neighborhood outreach clinic with other neighborhood associations

who were forming bylaws for the first time.

The result is a document that is the proposed bylaws of the Chantilly Neighborhood Association, found on a link off of

this page: http://www.ichantilly.org/archives/558

The highlights include the formation of a Board of Directors with a goal to extend not only a diversity of

neighborhood involvement and oversight, but maintain institutional knowledge from year to year. Directors will have

term limits, with a goal to cycle in as many interested neighbors as possible over the years. Any decision by the Board

can be overturned by a majority vote of voting neighbors.

An initial slate of proposed directors (nine) will be presented after a vote on the proposed bylaws at the September

meeting. Your 2015 board is completing the recruitment of volunteers for this slate of directors – but anyone is

free to present nominations from the floor at the meeting. It will be intended for Directors to assume their duties

immediately.

Six neighbors, as well as the current Chantilly Board, have volunteered to run as an initial slate of proposed candidates

for the board positions. Absent nominations from the floor, the neighborhood will be asked to approve this slate after

the bylaws vote (if approved). If there are any votes against, we can then vote on folks individually. Thanks to the

following neighbors for agreeing to volunteer as a proposed initial slate of Directors: Libby Meiners, Brooke Leonning,

Julie Brookhart, Amy Hazelwood, Genevieve Williams, Christie Driscoll; as well as your current Board: Jonathan Story,

Molly Putnam, and Rick Winiker.

Vacancies will be open by next year – please consider serving on the board, or volunteering for any standing

committees, if you are interested in ‘getting your feet wet’ and helping your CNA.

Please do not hesitate to send any comments to board@iChantilly.org. Thank you and see you September 17!

N

88

CNA OFFICERS

2015

PresidentRick Winikerpresident@ichantilly.org

TreasurerJonathan Storytreasurer@ichantilly.org

SecretaryMolly Putnamsecretary@ichantilly.org

COMMITTEE

CHAIRS

Communication &NewsletterSally Jenkinscommunications@ichantilly.org

SecurityKristin Simmersecurity@ichantilly.org

SocialGenevieve Williamssocial@ichantilly.org

EducationKori Renn

BylawsCatherine El-Khouri

Park and Rec resulted in fresh sand and a new net on the outdoor volleyball court in

Chantilly Neighborhood Park.

Unfortunately, though many strides had been made, the inaugural Hilly Chantilly 5k

road race will be postponed until next year. Though a race route had been approved,

some key elements necessary for the race promotion could not be accomplished

in time. With much of the preparation complete, I am confident that the 2016 CNA

board will be in an excellent position to have a fun neighborhood event next year.

Many thanks to committee members: Tim Ferguson, Ruth Wyatt, Natalie Otoya, Jason

Martin, Tim Bogert, Legion Brewery’s Phil Buchy, Jonathan Story and our neighbors

from the Elizabeth 8k team: Rob Zabel and Marshall Lindsay.

Please check iChantilly.org to renew your membership (or join), and see you all on

Thursday, September 17 at 7 pm!

President’s Corner, CONTINUED

Join the Chantilly

Nextdoor site

for the most

up-to-date

neighborhood

happenings at

chantillync.next-

door.com

CHANTILLYNEIGHBORHOOD

MEETING

Thursday, Sept 17at 7 PM

2101 Shenandoah Ave

SEE YOU THERE!