Vol. 11 No. 36
Setpember 2, 2016 www.unioncountyweekly.com
Superintendent Houlihan’s first day
Trader Joe’s is probably a no-go for now Waxhaw will likely walk before it runs with retail recruitment by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
It was a day of firsts for students across the district, as well as new Superintendent Andrew Houlihan, as they headed off to school to start a new year Aug. 29. Houlihan visited 10 schools across the district and plans to visit the remaining schools by the end of the month. Page 9
Scouts build fence Two Eagle Scouts joined forces to help animals by building a fence for the Humane Society of Union County. Page 8
Monroe rebounds The Redhawks rebounded from a Week 1 loss to defeat Marvin Ridge. See how your favorite teams are doing. Page 13
WAXHAW – Fred Burrell wonders if Waxhaw’s efforts to attract high-end restaurants and shops will be held back by neighboring towns that aren’t interested in increasing their housing density. Burrell, a town commissioner, wasn’t slighting Marvin, Mineral Springs, Weddington or Wesley Chapel, but reacting to market data showing Waxhaw has a long way to go in attracting retailers like Trader Joe’s. “If we really want to have a Traders Joe’s and we’re not going to get a lot of help from the surrounding communities, it seems to me we are left on our own to meet the parameters for Trader Joe’s,” Burrell said. Residents do want a Trader Joe’s. They also want nicer retail reflective of its affluent community. Waxhaw signed a three-year contract with The Buxton Group in December 2015 to help bring higher-end retailers to town. The first six months of the relationship hasn’t delivered any major retailers – that was never the expectation – but it has given town leaders an honest appraisal of its prospects of landing them. Buxton recently shared data with town leaders comparing Waxhaw’s demographics to the average Trader Joe’s market in the Carolinas. Both areas comprise 10-minute drive times. While Waxhaw compares favorably to the average Trader Joe’s market in terms of median household income and white-collar workers, it’s `lack-
Crime Blotter 5 | News Briefs 6 | Education 8 | Faith 11 | Calendar 12 | Sports 13 | Classifieds 15
(see Trader Joe’s on page 4)