$400,000 Homes in Union County: Joining a wealthy town isn't always easy

April 06, 2008

Marvin, one of North Carolina's wealthiest towns, is set to vote Tuesday on whether to annex an upscale subdivision, hoping to end a debate about what qualifies a neighborhood for admission into the western Union County town.

The controversy began in February, when the village council voted to add the Weddington Chase neighborhood of mostly $600,000 and $700,000 homes at Providence and New Town roads.

The same night, the council declined to add Providence Glen, an adjacent subdivision of $300,000 to $400,000 homes. Both had asked to be annexed.

The 3-1 vote followed a town council retreat, where meeting minutes quoted one of the councilmen: 'If we bring in $400,000 homes, it will bring down property values ... You are introducing a different element.'

The votes infuriated many Providence Glen residents.

'It is sad when government representatives are allowed to cherry pick who's worthy to be in and who's worthy to be out,' said Lisa Tolido, whose husband, Erik, is the Providence Glen homeowner's association vice president.

Nick Dispenziere hopes to end the debate Tuesday. He's the councilman who made the comment at the town retreat and voted against Providence Glen's inclusion on Feb. 12.

He plans to switch his vote when the council reconsiders the issue Tuesday. That will make the vote 2-2, and Mayor John Ciaramella is expected to break the tie in favor of annexing Providence Glen..'I hope everybody can try and heal together' afterward, Dispenziere said.

Protecting the town brand

In the 2000 census, the village had the fifth-highest median household income among N.C. municipalities, $97,497. The town of 3,000 has 73 homes valued at $1 million or more, according to county records. Its median home value is $513,420, according to new county revaluation figures.

Marvin also is at the epicenter of Union County's explosive growth. Its population more than doubled between 2000 and 2005.

As people continue to move into unincorporated neighborhoods nearby, some Marvin leaders have said they want to protect their town's brand: a community of homes on big lots with a rural ambiance.

Its residential ordinances call for lots of at least one acre, though many Marvin neighborhoods include smaller lots. The price of land in the area has climbed so high, big lots usually translate into big houses. But lot size doesn't explain the Providence Glen vote.

Weddington Chase has 287 homes on 250 acres. Adjacent Providence Glen has 110 homes on 99 acres.

That's 0.87 acres for every Weddington Chase lot; 0.90 acres for every Providence Glen lot. As a result, some residents have charged that Marvin leaders want to define their community by home values and sizes -- not people.

One leader facing that charge is councilman Marc Curtis, who voted against annexing Providence Glen and still opposes it.

'Marc has a personal bent against anything that's not the nicest thing,' said Mike Cognac, Marvin's former mayor. 'He's made that very clear in the two years he's been on council.'

Curtis contends that the issues are low-density housing and geography. Annexing areas with higher densities would erase the distinction between Marvin and Charlotte, he said.

Providence Glen also is too far east to be a part of Marvin, Curtis said. Weddington Chase was also too far, he said, but he voted for its inclusion because many residents helped Marvin leaders write development ordinances. . 'To keep spreading out and spreading out doesn't make any sense to me,' Curtis said. 'The town should have some discretion.'

Curtis acknowledged that people have called him an elitist. But he says it's elitist for Providence Glen residents to say they don't want to be annexed by Waxhaw, another nearby municipality.

Providence Glen residents have said they want to join Marvin in part to avoid being annexed by Waxhaw, which they say does not monitor growth well and has high taxes.

They prefer Marvin's lower taxes and dedication to controlling growth. They also say they are already part of the Marvin community because they volunteer with local schools, sports teams and scout groups.

'It becomes apparent to us that Providence Glen homeowners are good enough to serve the people in Marvin, but just not good enough to live there,' Lisa Tolido said.

Some people such as John Baresich, Marvin's board of adjustment chairman, don't agree with that sentiment.

'If this were put to a vote in Marvin, it would overwhelmingly be in favor of Providence Glen,' he said. 'My neighbors here in Marvin are not snobs. The council did the people of Marvin a disservice.'

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