Agenda
Tenant House Committee
​October 5, 8am.

1.  Introduction of Members.  Susan Mayer, Willie Griffin, Tom Hanchett, Jeff Parsons, Tommy Lee, Chuck Half, Abigail Jennings, Kyle Scharf, Joe Purdy, Tinsley Brigette, Dan Morrill, Owen Ewing

2.  Background Information.  Dan Morrill
The J. Wilson Alexander Farm Tenant House was judged eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.  This resulted from a Survey conducted by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.

In 2014-2015 the Alexander family, who had farmed this land since the late 1700s, decided to place the 54 +/- acre property on the market for sale.  This was in an area of intense  development west of I77 in Cornelius, N.C.

A prospective buyer was identified.  The buyer is moving forward with building a multi-million dollar mixed-use community.  The land contains wetlands and a stream.  Consequently, before development of the Alexander Farms Community  could begin, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had to issue Federal permits.  All projects that require Federal permits, Federal licensing,. or receive Federal funding must undergo an Envirinomental Impact Study.  Among the items to be considered is whether the intended action has an adverse impact upon a property that is listed in or declared eligble for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  If so, every reasonable effort should be made to mitigate the adverse impact.  It has been determined that the development of the Alexander Farms Community will have an adverse impact on the Tenant House.  Therefore efforts must be made to mitigate that adverse impact. 

Watch the video below for an explanation of the purpose of the Natianal Register of Historic Places.

In Decemer 2021, the former J. Wilson Alexander Farm was purchased by Alexander Farms MU LLC.  in February 2022, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alexander Farms MU LLC, and Preserve Mecklenburg.  The MOA spells out the actions that should be taken to mitigate the adverse impact the development will have on the Tenant House.  The MOA is the document that sets for the obligatons of PMI. The Tenant House Committee is advisory to PMI.

Please look on page 2 of the Memorandum of Agreement at the  Public Education/Interpretive Exhibit Section.  That sets forth the immedidate responsibility of PMI and the Tenant House Committee.​


The most immediate task is to review the design and content of signage explaining the history of the Alexander Farm and the Alexander Farm Tenant House both specifically and within their broader historical contexts.  The Committee must also comment on the monument that will be placed at the original location of the Tenant House.

In August 2022, a draft of the  sign scripts was sent to the State Historic Preservation Office.  SHPO has commented on the draft.  The design of the signage and the monument must be completed by February 2023.


The final responsibility of PMI under the MOA is: To ensure that the Tenant House is used to continue the story of tenant farming in Mecklenburg County through adaptive reuse or other educational opportunities.

3.  Project Status Report:  Owen Ewing

4.  Signage Status Report:  Kyle Scharf

Here are areas that Kyle would like input:

* images or other visual media
*input on most important information
*input on length, bullets vs. narratives
*input on vertical or horizontal orientation
*any other input or comments anyone might have.

5. General Discussion By Committee​​