STEELE CREEK NEWS
Steele Creek
Neighborhoods Maintain Quality, Study Shows
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(November 7, 2010) In
September, the Charlotte Department of Neighborhood and Business
Services released results from the
2010 version of the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study that the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte conducts every two years.
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The study evaluates social, crime, physical, and economic conditions
in Charlotte's neighborhoods and is used by local government
to evaluate neighborhood conditions and make changes to improve
neighborhood vitality.
The Neighborhood Quality of Life Study divides the
city and its
future annexation areas into 173 Neighborhood Statistical Areas (NSAs).
The study examines 20 neighborhood variables in each NSA, mostly collected from
local databases maintained by the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg
County, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The research converts the
individual statistical values into three NSA neighborhood-ranking
categories of stable, transitioning, or challenged.
As the map to the
right shows, all NSAs in Steele Creek are classified as either stable or
transitioning. No NSAs have changed in classification since the 2006 study,
but four
(100. 103, 105, and 199) have trended up. See more results
on the city's
Charlotte Neighborhood Quality of Life web page.
The study excludes
non-residential areas, such as the Westinghouse Boulevard
corridor. One boundary change was made since the last study in 2008.
The Ayrsley area was transferred from the Non-Residential Area to NSA 101
for this year's study.
As the maps below
show, three NSAs have a
medium level of need in the Social Dimension. Factors affecting
these ratings most likely are: NSA 102 - Percent of births to
adolescents and Youth Opportunity Index; NSA 107 - Percent of
persons over the age of 64; and NSA 199 - Dropout rate and percent
of births to adolescents. The Youth Opportunity Index attempts to
measure potential opportunities for youth to get involved in
extra-curricular activities within the NSA. The index for NSA 102 is
arbitrarily low because it is almost 100% residential and contains
no churches, schools, recreation centers, or libraries.
All NSAs show a
low level of need in the Crime Dimension. Variables for almost all
NSAs were well below the rates for the city as a whole. This may
come as a surprise to people who have the false perception that
Steele Creek has high crime.
The study shows
that much of Steele Creek has medium need in the Physical Dimension.
One factor used in this dimension is projected infrastructure
improvement cost, which estimates the cost of providing sidewalks,
curbs, and minor drainage improvements where they are lacking. Many parts of Steele Creek
rate low in this dimension because may neighborhoods were built
before current subdivision standards were in place or they contain
area that is still largely rural. Other factors include percent of persons
with access to public transportation, percent of persons with access
to basic retail, and pedestrian friendliness, all of which would
tend to be lacking in rural areas of Steele Creek.
Much of
Steele Creek falls in the medium need category in the economic
dimension. This is primarily due to rates of percent change in
income and percent change in housing value that are below the city
rate. Dr. Owen Furuseth of UNCC, who directed the study, said in a
recent community workshop that many Charlotte neighborhoods took a
big hit from 2008 to 2010 due to the national economic situation,
which has caused housing values to go down and unemployment to go up.
The maps below
show the categories in the four dimensions for Steele Creek NSAs.
For more details, click on the 2010 Quality of Life link on the
city's
Charlotte Neighborhood Quality of Life web page.

What the study
report fails to note is the one big change that has been occurring in
Steele Creek: the population is booming. The 2000 study showed a
total population of about 20,900 in Steele Creek. The population
reported in the 2010 study is about 48,061, an increase of about 130% in
ten years. Even though growth has recently ground to a crawl, the
latest study showed 2008-2010 with the highest increase (6504) of
any two year period.
The table below
shows population reported for the six NSAs entirely within Steele
Creek and uses one half of the reported population for the three
NSAs partly within Steele Creek.
Population
Counts for NSAs in Steele Creek |
NSA |
Study Years |
2000 |
2002 |
2004 |
2006 |
2008 |
2010 |
Percent Change 2000-2010 |
100 (50%) |
968 |
753 |
881 |
1497 |
1465 |
1508 |
56 |
101 |
2484 |
2982 |
3743 |
5125 |
5355 |
7126 |
187 |
102 |
3233 |
4122 |
4536 |
4537 |
4442 |
4571 |
41 |
103 |
1892 |
3001 |
3492 |
4136 |
4515 |
4847 |
156 |
104 |
2278 |
4052 |
5337 |
6753 |
7247 |
8219 |
261 |
105 |
2122 |
1897 |
1972 |
2176 |
3120 |
3502 |
65 |
106 |
2694 |
3114 |
5359 |
6854 |
8192 |
10550 |
292 |
107 (50%) |
2036 |
1546 |
1639 |
1602 |
2313 |
2602 |
28 |
199 (50%) |
3173 |
3224 |
4099 |
4867 |
4907 |
5136 |
62 |
Total
Population |
20880 |
24691 |
31058 |
37547 |
41557 |
48061 |
130 |
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Decreases reported in NSAs 100 and
107 earlier in the decade likely resulted from removal of housing due to airport expansion and
noise abatement buyouts. Significant growth has occurred recently in the Berewick and Stowe Creek
developments, which are in the southern end of NSA 107 and likely
account for almost all the growth in that NSA.
However, the total population of Steele Creek from the 2000
Census was 25,282, so these counts likely are low, and the
population of Steele Creek likely is closer to 58,000. 2010
Census results for small geographic areas will be available in
early 2011. |
The study assigns
names to each NSA. Most of the names for NSAs in Steele Creek do not
accurately represent the complete NSA areas.
|
NSA Number |
|
NSA Name |
|
100 |
|
Eagle lake |
|
101 |
|
Olde Whitehall |
|
102 |
|
Griers Fork |
|
103 |
|
Brown Road |
|
104 |
|
Yorkshire |
|
105 |
|
Pleasant Hill Road |
|
106 |
|
Steele Creek |
|
107 |
|
Dixie / Berryhill |
|
199 |
|
Yorkmount |
Five of
these (Eagle Lake, Olde Whitehall, Griers Fork, Yorkshire, and
Pleasant Hill Road) are named after smaller neighborhoods within
them. Only Yorkshire takes up more than a small portion of its NSA.
It appears that these names were selected because someone within
each of the neighborhoods had signed up for the Planning
Department's Neighborhood Contact List. Most should have different,
more representative names. NSA 103 is named Brown Road, but it
contains no road named Brown Road, and the origin of that name is a
mystery. NSA 106 is named Steele Creek, but certainly is a small
part of the larger Steele Creek community.
Dr. Furuseth said
that they will be evaluating the boundaries and names of NSAs before
the next study in 2012. There will be community meetings about
possible changes.
To comment on this
story, please visit the
Steele Creek Residents Association Message Board.
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