MINT HILL, NC – Mayor Brad Simmons and the Board of Commissioners held their monthly meeting at Town Hall open to the public to conduct the towns business. There were some key items on the agenda that warranted some serious discussion.

Beyond the normal approvals of the consent agenda, we would like to focus on some other matters impacting the town and it’s future. The Age-Friendly Mecklenburg 2021 Action Plan was presented and discussed. It is the findings of the AFM Committee through extensive research on the needs of the senior population in the community was drafted into the plan with recommendations moving forward to meet this challenge.

The initiative facilitates a collective planning summary of a not-for-profit, higher education, faith based, private, and government organizations along with input from community residents focused on the improvement of the quality of life for older adults. Apparently, by 2035 an additional 140,000 residents age 55 and older will be residing in Mecklenburg County, of which 100,000 will be age 65 and above. This segment of the population has been identified as the fastest growing age group in the County.

Based on the research and data, it has become clear seniors want to remain active, healthy, both physically and mentally, and relevant. They want to be informed and get more involved in the community. Therefore, there is a need to support seniors so they can feel safe and secure within their homes and in the community. Seniors also have a need to feel connected to others through organizations, volunteer opportunities, digital connectivity or through more transportation oriented methods to connect in our society.

Mecklenburg County leadership in 2016 sent a letter to AARP/WHO (World Health Organization) making a commitment to the improvement in the eight areas identified as influencing the health and quality of life for the elderly.

In 2019 the AFM Committee created the Age-Friendly Gap Analysis reflecting the current status of the community and offering recommendations for improvement. The group then presented the analysis to the Health and Human Services Committee of the Board of County Commissioners in late 2019 which has yielded the following results and implementation plans.

The next step is to seek designation as an Age-Friendly Community, this will be done shortly and submitted to AARP and the WHO. Once accepted Mecklenburg County would gain access to their livable communities resources, best practices, and contacts from the more than 1,000 age-friendly communities worldwide. Mecklenburg County would be recognized as a great location to age-in-place or for seniors to relocate for retirement.

In 2020, the Age-Friendly Mecklenburg Action Plan identified four (4) Core Implementation Strategies.

• Engagement Strategy – Primary goal is to help seniors remain ACTIVE.
• Communications Strategy – The goal is help seniors stay INFORMED.
• Support Strategy – The goal is to SUPPORT seniors and their caregivers.
• Connectivity Strategy – The goal is to help seniors CONNECT through technology and transportation.

This is an interesting study, if interested residents should contact Mecklenburg County for more information. By telephone call 980-314-6070 or go online to AFMeck@mecknc.gov.

Public Hearing on docket #ZC22-1 raised some issues with local residents living in the area. Wyndam Whels Property Services Inc. made a recommendation to demolish the existing structure built in 1964 in disrepair and in poor condition. They propose to build a new eight bedroom, six thousand square feet, single family home in its place. However, the catch is the organization wants to build an upscale residential assisted living facility for up to ten residents. The company claims there will be no resident vehicles on the property. All meals are prepared on-site and laundry is done on-site. Also, no delivery traffic is expected. The property is located 422 feet from Wilson Woods Drive and is not visible from the street. The proposal would require changing the current zoning from residential to residential condition use. The proposed building structure is certainly a huge upscale improvement over the current house sitting on the property as proposed by the master plan.

However, residents in the community are not against the destruction of the current structure, they would welcome a beautiful new home and family into their neighborhood. They have legitimate concerns about additional traffic from visitors, potential deliveries, caregivers coming and going in and out of the facility, the change in rezoning, and the impact the change will have on their property values. No decision was made, but the Planning Board will be reviewing the proposal and make their recommendation to the Board of Commissioners after the review is complete.