Friday, May 30, 2008

Lake Norman Jewish Community News

Beginning June 1, Michael Shields will become rabbi of the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation (Reform) in the Lake Norman area. LNJC is a spiritual home for Jews in the North Charlotte and Lake Norman area.

Lake Norman Jewish Congregation was formed in the summer of 2006 to answer the community's desire for Reform-based, spiritually enriching religious services, stimulating Jewish education for children and adults, and community social activities. Lake Norman Jewish Congregation welcomes active participation and encourage lifelong learning. Drawing upon the rich, varied traditions of Judaism, Lake Norman Jewish Congregation express’ them in contemporary ways, responsive to our lives in the 21st century.

For more information, visit http://lakenormanjc.org/ or contact Yuriy & Luda Vaynshteyn http://lakenormanhomepages.com/ or http://123charlottehomes.com/

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Jewish community growth in Charlotte area

Over the past 10 years, the Jewish population of the Charlotte region has grown by at least a one-third to an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 individuals.

To help agencies serving the Jewish community cope with that growth, three key organizations have stepped up their fund raising.

The Foundation of Shalom Park has just completed an eight-year campaign that raised $40 million to nearly triple the facility space on its 54-acre campus.

Butch Rosen, executive director of the Foundation of Shalom Park, says facilities on the campus have grown to 225,000 square feet from 85,000 over the past six years. The campus has two synagogues and their religious schools; a day school, pre-school and high school; community center; library and resource center; athletics facilities and meeting space; and other Jewish agencies.

And Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, a supporting organization of Foundation for the Carolinas that has 84 funds totaling nearly $39 million, has launched an effort to spur Jewish donors to create endowments and planned gifts.

Phil Warshauer, director for planned giving at the Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, provides planned-giving advice to the nine agencies on the organization's board and represents them to prospective donors.

The foundation also has formed a "legacy" group to recognize donors who have made deferred gifts.

In the wake of an annual drive that raised a record $3.03 million this year, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte is allocating more dollars to Jewish agencies in the region and abroad.

Sue Worrel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, says this year's campaign aims to broaden and expand the organization's donor base. This year, the federation is distributing 70% of its funds to roughly 20 local agencies, with the rest going to groups overseas. Developing leaders within the Jewish community and serving as a voice on Jewish issues are the focus of two of its initiatives.

For example, the Bernstein Leadership Group, formed 10 years ago, offers an 18-month program to cultivate emerging leaders for the Jewish community. And in August, the federation launched its Community Relations Council to represent the Jewish community and develop relationships with the news media, government, nonprofits, interfaith community, schools and academia.

QUICKINFO
Agencies serving the local Jewish community include:

Need additional info on Jewish Agencies in Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas call real estate RELOCATION specialists Yuriy & Luda Vaynshteyn @ 704-543-4590 or visit our web site http://LakeNormanHomepages.com/ or http://CarolinasMetro.com/.

Want to know more about Lake Norman water front real estate?

Duke Energy has control over construction of docks, dredging, even removing vegetation in its shoreline strip, so if docks are important to buyers permits have to be in place before lots are sold.

Duke Energy has control over construction of docks, dredging, even removing vegetation in its shoreline strip, so if docks are important to buyers permits have to be in place before lots are sold.

Duke Energy lake rules can be found at www.duke-energy.com/lakes, to Lake Management, and then to the Shoreline Management Plan link. Go to Catawba-Wateree
SMP and then Shoreline Management Guidelines. Questions and requests for dock permit applications should be directed to Duke Energy Lake Services at 800-443-5193.

In addition to the rules governing the shoreline, there are state and, in some cases, county rules about what can be done just above it, in a buffer zone that uses vegetation as water-quality protection. At lakes Norman, Mountain Island and Wylie, the state says the buffer must be at least 50 feet. On the York County side of Lake Wylie, the buffer is also 50 feet.

In Mecklenburg, the state minimum is observed, but the buffer requirement may be as much as 100 feet, depending on where the property is on the lake or whether it’s in a development that sets its own rules above the 50-foot minimum.

No structures - pools, decks, sidewalks or anything else - can be built in the buffer. Cutting trees or otherwise changing the vegetation is subject to certain rules. For Mecklenburg, those rules are found at http://stormwater.charmeck.org, under Brochures/Publications. Look for Protecting Water Quality in Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Three Lakes.

For Lincoln, Iredell and Gaston, they're at http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/catawba.htm. Look under Catawba River Basin Riparian Buffer Protection Rules Fact Sheet. And for York County, go to http://www.yorkcountygov.com and look under Department List for Planning and Development. On the right, you'll find River Ordinance FAQs.

Environmental specialists are happy to field questions about the buffer. For Mecklenburg's part of Lake Norman, that's Water Quality Specialist Michael Burkhard at 980-722-5779. For Mecklenburg's part of lakes Mountain Island and Wylie, call Water Quality Supervisor David Caldwell at 704-336-5452.

For the Iredell, Lincoln and Gaston areas of the lakes, call Alan Johnson or Erin Fogarty at the Mooresville office of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Water Quality Division, 704-663-1699. And in York County, you can address questions to the county's Web site or to the county's residential zoning department at 803-909-7240.

In addition to dealing with the lakeside requirements, homebuyers pay a premium for waterfront homes. It's $200,000 to $500,000 more than inland. Waterfront homes on Wylie are in the range of $300,000 to $2+ million and on Lake Norman $400,000 to over $4 million.

Lake Norman waterfront community includes Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver, Mooresville, Troutman, Sherrills Ford and Catawba. Lake Norman lakefront neighborhoods include Norman Pointe, North View Harbour, The Farms, The Peninsula, The Point, Birkdale, Riverrun, Sailview, and many others. Lake Norman waterfront homes, water view homes, as well as waterfront and waterview lots and home sites are available for sale, rent and lease purchase. Please call or e-mail us to find out why so many homeowners want to call Lake Norman home.

Full pond elevation at Lake Norman NC is 760 feet. The water of Lake Norman is used in two ways to provide electricity to the Piedmont Carolinas. It is used to power the generators at Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station and by Marshall Steam Station and McGuire Nuclear Station to cool the steam that drives the turbines. Lake Norman provides a dependable supply of water to Lincoln County, Davidson, NC Mooresville NC, Charlotte Mecklenburg and Huntersville NC.

Lake Norman borders - on the east side of I77 - Mooresville NC (exit 33 and exit 36), Cornelius NC (exit 28) Troutman NC (exit 42 and exit 45), Davidson NC (exit 30) and Huntersville NC (exit 25) and on the west side - Denver and NC and Sherrills Ford NC - Catawba County.

In addition to lake homes, you will find a wide range of housing options including condominiums (condos), townhomes, apartments in the towns bordering Lake Norman - Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver, Mooresville, Troutman, Sherrills Ford and Catawba.

On our websites http://carolinasmetro.com/ and http://LakeNormanhomepages.com/ you can search Lake Norman real estate water front, water view or in-land mls listings including Charlotte, Denver, Huntersville, Cornelius, Mooresville, Troutman, western parts of Concord and Kannapolis eastern part of Gastonia, and Lincolnton. To search homes for sale on Lake Norman please go to directly to our Lake Norman home search page http://search.carolinasmetro.com/idx/?area=13.

Let our real estate agents - Yuriy & Luda Vaynshteyn, Brokers, Realtors in North & South Carolina help you explore the lifestyle of a Lake Norman resident and help to you to find home, condo (condominium), townhome of your dream weather you looking for a waterfront, waterview or inland real estate property, lot, home site, land or acreage. They will assist you with all your relocation needs to Lake Norman area. You can call them directly at 704-405-0634 or e-mail LakeNormanRelo@CarolinasMetro.com.