Rea Road Gillespie Rezoning Update No. 16

This was supposed to be a post Labor Day Weekend Update. 

But we could not wait to share a couple of great photos of our eagles before the long weekend.

Many thanks to Rod Firestone for the photo of one of the two juvenile American Bald Eagles born early this spring and "Glen" the dad perched nearby. The photo we understand was taken last weekend. (August 26-27).

Photo Courtesy of Rod Firestone 

This homecoming of sorts may be one of the last before this young eagle leaves the area to make his/her own way in the world. 

In years past the juveniles sometimes have left in early fall. In other years they hang around well into December before taking flight one cool morning to claim their own territory.

Photo Courtesy of Rob Firestone

Above the male "Glen" watching his offspring. 

Once on their own, young eagles may travel hundreds of miles before they find a suitable home. They may relocate often and will not find a mate until they are four or six years old.

But for now both juveniles seem to like the our Rea Road neighborhood.

Our resident proud parent Bald Eagles "Piper and Glen" have claimed the TPC at Piper Glen as their nesting site for more than a dozen years. 

Unfortunately their home is now under threat of destruction due to the proposed development of the Rea Road Gillespie Property that makes up nearly half of their territory. 

The 53 acre wooded site is currently zoned for only 45 single family homes, unfortunately a developer has requested the property be rezoned for a massive 640 unit apartment complex. 

The developer intends to destroy 70% of the tree canopy in order to build several 65 foot tall apartment buildings. Buildings that will be as close as 900 feet and in a direct line of flight from their nest to a pond they frequent on the Gillespie Property.

Our efforts to convince Charlotte City Council to VOTE NO on the rezoning of the Gillespie Property continue.

Please share our Petition with anyone who has not yet signed. We appreciate your continued support.

Rea Road Gillespie Rezoning Update No. 15

Our Eagles Piper and Glen have been spotted daily this summer. Often near the Mitchell Pond across from the TPC Clubhouse and sometimes as far west as Carmel Road or as far east as Raintree. Still they return at dusk to the tall trees along the 11th Fairway that border Rea Road each evening. 

The two juveniles are less visible and are often mistaken for Turkey Vultures or rather large Hawks. Yet reports of sightings along the Four Mile Creek Greenway are nearly weekly. Both will continue to expand their range and by late fall will likely leave the area once and for all. 

The Triplets "Birdie, Par, and Bogey"

The deer population seems healthy, the triplets (pictured above) are late arrivals born the last week in June. They too make their home along the Four Mile Creek Greenway near the Gillespie property.

Opossums, Coyotes and Racoons are frequently spotted just before "hard dark" and Rabbits in the early light of summer's dawn. 

Our Rea Road neighborhoods are a thriving habitat of wonderful wildlife. 

We'd like to keep it that way.

The developer has stated that 70% of the forest these animals call home will be destroyed. That's 37 of the 53 acres targeted for destruction.

Thank you for signing our petition, our efforts to convince Charlotte City Council to VOTE NO on the rezoning of the Gillespie Property continue.

Please share our Petition with anyone who has not yet signed. We appreciate your continued support.

Your Thoughts

Rea Road Neighborhood Coalition seeks to give residents and taxpayers an amplified voice in local governance. We welcome photos, opinions, comments and letters from all.

Rezoning Notice Sign at the Gillespie Driveway on Elm Lane.

To Ed Driggs:

CMS has begun testing its bus routes for the upcoming school season. This means standstill traffic for commuters in the six neighborhoods that feed onto Elm from Endhaven as the buses weave between the two huge schools there. (Soon to be three!) Today is also garbage and recycling pickup day; more huge slow-moving trucks on these small residential roads.

Ed, you've already saddled us with the development at Elm & Endhaven, adding hundreds of more cars to our tiny streets there, with no additional infrastructure or road-widening plan in place.

And now to add hundreds more cars, destroying one of the last green spaces in south Charlotte, which will only further overwhelm Elm and Rea roads?

Anyone who thinks that they will get through this without a dangerous and disheartening amount of additional traffic is obviously someone who has never driven on twisty little two-lane Elm or Endhaven, or Rea, with its mistimed stop lights every 500 yards. And these developers made it plain in the meeting last week that that they have never even looked at these roads under these kinds of normal circumstances.

They need to go back to the drawing board. Accommodate additional cumulative traffic and safeguard the wildlife in this area, or else we will all suffer. The quest for density (voters?) will backfire when the people get frustrated and angry at the congestion and move away.

Please don't rubber stamp this, Ed.

As Mr Green said in the meeting: If this development were not approved, no one would miss it at all. Build somewhere else; build where you can reinforce the infrastructure to deal with a new influx.

Don't sacrifice this green space, Ed. There's no room for more here.

Trees Charlotte's Best Known Amenity

When I was just out of college and full of myself I took Charlotte's trees for granted. 

Just weeks after being hired by a large Wall Street investment firm I was asked to attend a week long conference in Los Angeles. Not a bad assignment, spend a week with investment gurus at the Beverly Hills Wilshire. Yet, after about 24 hours the novelty had worn off.

While LA was awesome, there was this nagging uneasiness. 

But it wasn't until my USAir flight was on the final approach into Charlotte that I realized why I had been homesick. 

TREES! 

Looking out across the wing of a 737 there were trees for as far as I could see, reaching all the way from Charlotte's Piedmont to the Mountains. 

LA for all the glitz and glamor, was void of real trees or any sort of "tree canopy".

RK Investments Charlotte, LLC and Russell Ranson want to turn the Gillespie Property in to LA, from this:

Into this:

This is RK Investments idea of a "tree save" at their Proximity NorthLake property off Reames Road in north Charlotte.

Tell Ed Driggs No Compromise! No to the Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning.

Sign and Share the petition: Charge.org/SavePiperGlen

Charlotte City Council Member Ed Driggs Email Regarding Gillespie Property Rezoning

Below is Charlotte City Council Member Ed Driggs email regarding the Gillespie Property Meeting held last week.

A link to Ed's attachments is at the end of the email. Some of my thoughts on the Council Member's email is at the bottom. CS

August 21, 2023

To all, 

Following the Community Meeting for the Gillespie rezoning on Thursday, I would like to share some impressions and thoughts with you.  Paul Davis provided to me some notes he took during the meeting, which I am attaching unabridged to this message along with my additional comments in red.  I am also attaching the slides that were used at the meeting. Please let me know if any issues are still missing from the notes Paul and I took. 

Needless to say, the major takeaway from the meeting is that residents are still overwhelmingly opposed to the petition, even after the reduction in the number of units.  Broadly speaking, major issues could be classified as traffic, environment, schools and suitability of this type of investment at that location.  

It was disappointing that some people that wanted to attend the meeting were not able to because the facility was at capacity.  I discussed the meeting at some length with Tom Coyne and agreed with him that a follow-up meeting would be scheduled in the near future at a different location and at a time when he is able to attend.  The petitioner will coordinate a date with him, and an announcement will be circulated through all available channels.  

I would like to respond to some questions and comments about my role in the zoning approval process. First of all, I am  committed to ensuring that all community questions are answered, and that feedback from residents is seen by staff, the Zoning Committee, and Council.  The professionals submitting the petition will not have an advantage over residents who may not have experience with this process.  When the proposal was for 1,100 units, it was easy for me to advise petitioners that they were way off the mark and had no chance of success.  The current plan of 640 units is still aggressive but not so far out of line with other development in Charlotte that it won’t get processed by staff and the Zoning Committee.  At this point, I need to respect my responsibilities as a member of Council and let the petitioners have their day in court.   

In the meantime, I need to share with you that, some months ago, I engaged with County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell to explore the idea of creating a park on all or part of the Gillespie property.  She told me recently that she had pursued that idea with the County Parks and Recreation Department, which was willing to negotiate to buy the land but had been unable to establish a dialogue with the owner.   

I don’t know at this point whether a solution that includes Parks and Recreation is still remotely possible.  I will certainly continue to look into it as an option.  In the meantime, in case it isn’t, I want to engage with you to find out what type of development you think would work on the Gillespie property.  The Charlotte 2040 Future Comprehensive Plan, adopted by Council in 2021 over my strenuous objection, focuses on creating high density housing as a means of increasing supply and slowing the rise of housing costs.  Any proposal related to the site, whether offered by the current petitioner or a successor, will need to be considered in the context of the current reality of Council priorities. 

I will continue to communicate with residents on events related to this petition and am available to attend meetings in addition to the one the petitioner will schedule with Tom Coyne.  We can talk about options residents have to communicate with Council and the Zoning Commission, and I can arrange meetings with staff members such as CDOT engineers on request.  Meanwhile, I encourage residents to organize around a steering committee such as the one Tom Coyne and Paul Davis have already established, so that an orderly negotiation can take place between residents and any petitioners concerning the future of the site. 

Ed Driggs

Charlotte City Council District 7

(704) 432-7077

Attachment One 

Attachment Two

Chip Starr My thoughts:

I understand that the developer was asked if he could develop the property as zoned and his answer was absolutely not.

What Mr. Ranson is proposing is typical of projects along Charlotte's Central Avenue and South Boulevard. While some people like the look and vibe of NoDa, South End and Plaza Midwood it is not in keeping with our South Charlotte neighborhoods. Basically RK Investments Charlotte, LLC is asking for urban zoning in a non-urban setting. 

Originally the proposal suggested a 40% tree save now RK Investments Charlotte, LLC has reduced that to the city mandated 30% - in other words the developer is planning to destroy 70% of the tree canopy. Keep in mind that much of the "saved" is from the 13 acres that are undevelopable wetlands.

Mr. Driggs comment about Mecklenburg County Park and Rec is comical. "Engaged with County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell to explore the idea of creating a park on all or part of the Gillespie property."  I suppose that means he sent an email. Actually several residents have been working with Meck county since early February and apparently the developer is non-responsive. 

Finally the local media will present this as Piper Glen homeowners against the developer, but most of those speaking up last week are not from Piper Glen. This is not a us vs them cause, this is common sense vs greed and a city council member owned by developers and real estate professionals.

You will also notice that Council Member Driggs' email says nothing about the Eagles or even wildlife in general.

CS

Notes from August 17, 2023 Community Meeting for Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning Petition 2022-121

The following notes (edited) was provided by Paul Davis:

  Meeting very well attended. Homeowners were turned away from the door after reaching 200. More public community meetings were promised to accommodate those who could not get in. Fire Marshall.

  Developer started meeting with introductions and a 20-to-25-minute slide presentation regarding the proposed development.   That included a development overview, max of 640 units (all rentals), over 55 section and assisted living units.   Stated “no” low-income units. Not sure this will hold up with the city council.

  Following the presentation, it was opened up to questions and concerns from the audience.  Many in the audience were very well informed and had read most of the available materials regarding this development.

  As a best guess estimate, probably 60/40 were concerns with the flawed traffic study.  The developer group did not do well in defending that study. Improvements seem to be limited to extra turn lanes on Rea and Elm intersections with Pineville Matthews Road.  Totally inadequate. 

 Attendees questioned the methodology of the traffic study, and particularly noted that traffic has increased significantly since the determination date used in the study.  Was the car and bicycle traffic expected from new schools under construction taken into account?  Current vehicle traffic at 130% of road capacity.  How will the development at Endhaven and Elm affect the numbers? Was the impact on Bevington in Glynmoor Lakes given due consideration?

  We may want to produce a video of “real time” traffic issues on Rea and Elm at those intersections, Southbound traffic at I-485 and at Bevington  

  Traffic light at entrance to Rea from new development. . No light on other side from development to Elm Road. Location is at a blind spot-on Elm.   May want to insist the traffic light poles match existing poles and not the creosote wood poles and above ground wiring.

  A lot of very passionate concerns regarding the environmental issues. Our Eagles, deer and displacement of other amphibian animals and our wet lands.

  Questions regarding additional future development of another 300 units found in the language of the proposed permit. Developers insisted that would not happen.

Clarification from Ed Driggs:  The site plan indicates that there will be 300 units in area A and 340 units in area B.  It further notes that there will be a maximum of 500 multifamily units of any description across the entire site, not just in Area B.  500 is a sublimit within the 640, not a possible increase to 800 in total.

 At one point in the meeting, the audience was asked to stand if they opposed this development.  Virtually the entire room stood up. 

 All we hear these days is “climate change” and how it is an existential threat. Accommodating permanent population growth with more rental housing may exacerbate this threat. 

  Best guess is City Council meeting will be this November. The earliest a vote could be taken is December.  Public hearing. The Public Hearing will be no earlier than November, the decision would be at least one month after that.  Often the decision is more than a month after the Hearing.

  Homeowners were there from communities North of Pineville Matthews Road. Complaints about not being notified.  Developer explained the one-mile criteria.  May need to make an effort to include more communities North of Highway 51 in future notices.  Petitioner agreed to do this subject to the availability of contact information.

  Demands for Ed to vote against this. It is not that simple. This is not a binary choice for Ed.  He may be better serving us to use leverage to get concessions and vote for it.

  In that CDOT and NC environmental have approved this development, need to get Ed’s help to meet with them to have them defend and explain why they approved with flawed data.

  Developer talks about how closely they have worked with Parks and Recreation and the “Greenway”.  Yet, their project would tear out the only remaining natural green 53 acres in south Charlotte.

  No discussion about waste management.

  Project will take 6 to 10 years to build out.  Disruption from construction that entire time?

  If more rentals are needed, can we help them look for alternatives locations. E.g.; unused mall space. 

Other notes from Ed (Driggs):

- Meeting participants challenged the insertion of this type of high-density development in the midst of single-family neighborhoods

- Questions were raised as to why the units were to be rented rather than sold (petitioner said the market wants rentals.)

- Will schools have capacity for the additional students (CMS board question)?

- Petitioner noted that traffic improvements designed for 1,100 units would be implemented even if only 640 units were to be approved.  The traffic study does not imply that there could be more than 640 units.

  Piper Glen leadership was well represented and asked many pertinent questions.  Among them were Mark Abrazino, Jim Everett and Joe (OSA VP).   Joe made an effort to defend the developers and was met with calls to turn over the microphone and set back down

  Garland Green did a great job of providing a comprehensive overview of our concerns.

  Meeting ended around 8:30 p.m.

  Tallest building is 64 feet (4 stories). In center of development.

  Trees. 30% will be  saved.

  Safety concerns. No lights after dark.

  Pedestrian paths over creek to shops of PG. No parking.

  Demands for Ed (Driggs) to vote against this. It is not that simple. This is not a binary choice for Ed.  He may be better serving us to use leverage to get concessions and vote for it.

In that CDOT and NC environmental have approved this development, need to get Ed helps to meet with them to have them defend and explain why they approved with flawed data

Pitchforks and Torches -The Gillespie Property Rezoning Meeting – Re-Cap

First a huge thank you to everyone who took time to attend last night’s Gillespie Property Rezoning Community Meeting. The standing room only crowd, with more than 2 dozen neighbors turned away at the door and not allowed to enter, let the developer RK Investors (Russell Ranson), know the Gillespie Project DOES NOT have community support.

Your neighbors voiced the following concerns:

Traffic – The Traffic Impact Study prepared by Design Resource Group seemed severely flawed and perhaps of dubious intent. The presenters suggested that the traffic study has “approved” by both the City and State DOT. However, there seems to be some confusion as to being “approved” which is perhaps only accepted. The use of 2020 traffic counts as a base line also seems problematic. Band-Aid fixes to nearby intersections seemed illogical at best. Enhancements to Elm Lane and Bevington were tossed to the crowd with little appreciation. And the threat of resubmitting the traffic study based on lower density and not being required to provide any traffic enhancement was not appreciated. Those in attendance believe that an additional 4,500 vehicle movements daily at a minimum would be added to the already over stressed Rea/Elm/Pineville Matthews gridlock.

Schools – Teacher and Bus Driver shortages. While CMS reports a shortage of more than 500 teachers and 100 bus drivers as of June 28^th according to a news story by WCNC. This fact was disputed by the developer. It was noted that Southern Mecklenburg County schools are well above capacity and will remain over capacity even after the new junior and senior high schools located off Ardrey Kell and North Community House respectively. These schools are to be completed in 2025 and 2024.

Wildlife and Nature including our Eagles (Piper and Glen) – Developer Ranson claimed that the Bald Eagles are only located on the Piper Glen Golf Course and will not be affected by construction. However, the facts show otherwise, eagles typically have a 5-10 square mile range and have frequently been spotted on the Gillespie Property and the project may be in violation of state and federal mandates. The developer admits that no environmental study has been completed or is planned.

Tree Canopy – A "possible" 30% tree-save is not impressive. Replacing 100-year-old oak trees with lovely pink crepe myrtles is even less attractive.

Stormwater Runoff – RK Investors will need to remove nearly 20 feet of elevation from the Gillespie property. Severely altering the topography of the land and destroying much of the natural wildlife habitat. The risks are immeasurable at this point.

Infrastructure – City County Services, Duke Energy, Law Enforcement, US Postal Service are clearly under stress. The power grid dropping out with even the mildest of thunderstorms. Something that was rare a decade ago.

Construction – A ten-year construction buildout is not acceptable. The thought of a decade of dump trucks and endless hammering and equipment backing warning signals offers only a nightmarish perception.

Project Size - The development was reduced from the original 1,100 units to 980, now down to 636 apartments on 53 acres is troublesome, considering that Piper Glen has around 850 homes on more than 1,000 acres. The Fairways Apartments at Piper Glen has 272 units on 23 acres. The density is just unacceptable.

Housing Types – It is unfortunate that the developer has not committed to the type of housing. This continues to range from afforable housing to nursing care, to luxury apartments to an over 55 community.

Ed Driggs – Clearly Council Member Driggs is not a fan favorite. Oddly Mr. Driggs felt it was warranted to speak to the two CMPD Officers on hand and warn them to be on their toes in case things got out of hand.  Perhaps "Pitchforks and Torches" were expected? When asked if he would commit to voting against the Gillespie Rezoning Request Mr. Driggs dodged the question using words like, negotiation, and common ground. Then when pressed further simply refused to answer. It is clear that Driggs will vote for the developers.

Finally, the first rule of public speaking is “read the room” and the developer, Russell Ranson, our Charlotte City Council Member Ed Driggs, John Carmichael with the law firm Robinson Bradshaw, the architect, and traffic study presenters could not have been more clueless.

While proudly offering increased access to the greenway and wider sidewalks, Mr. Ranson failed to notice that the crowd of more than 200 hundred gathered may enjoy an occasional walk around the neighborhood, but the mostly empty nesters have little desire to lace up a pair of Nikes and head off on a five-mile morning run. Even a walk to Starbucks in the summer afternoon heat is rather unappealing to most of those in attendance.

What does matter is traffic, crime, wildlife and infrastructure, nothing said really addressed these concerns.

In a room filled with property owners, many who have made the area home for more than two decades and understand the reason they chose to live in the Piper Glen area, is the character of our community. The combination of golf course fairways, gently rolling hills, trees, ponds, and wildlife is a welcome change from much of Charlotte. Sadly, the proposed Gillespie Development dramatically alters the character of our neighborhood.

By rezoning from single family detached homes to rental apartments the area will lose its biggest asset homeowners. For it is that pride in homeownership that adds value that is lost within a rental community, no matter how proactive the property management company.

Again, thank you for your support, kind words and continued encouragement.

Beyond the meeting - Our petition is 100 signatures away from 11,000 and we will plan on increasing our efforts as the weeks progress. We are somewhat hesitant to place signs along the Gillespie Property as it really goes against our desire to be be environmentally aware, our collective HOA's have rules against signs and its pretty unattractive. Perhaps as we get closer to a Charlotte City Council vote. Thoughts on this? Finally we encourage everyone to write letters to City Council - email is great but if you have time a real letter has even more impact!

Also if you have not signed our petition please do so here:

https://www.change.org/SavePiperGlen and share our really easy to remember url:  

change.org/SavePiperGlen 

Gillespie Property Re-Zoning Meeting

Late last week we received notice of the required by law "Community Meeting" that property developers must hold in order to receive approval for re-zoning petitions.

Normally when these meetings happen, a couple people show up exchange pleasantries and go home, as developers in Charlotte seldom see push back on even the most outrageous requests. 

Then a few weeks later Charlotte City Council approves the request and everyone wonders why crime is out of control and traffic gridlock is everywhere.

This is your one chance to make a difference and let the City of Charlotte, the developer and the Gillespie Family know that destroying 54 acres of forest to build an apartment complex in an area that even the much debated 2040 plan designated as "Single Family" is a really bad idea.

This Public Meeting Will Be Held Next Week:

Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

Place of Meeting: 

South Charlotte Banquet Center
9009 Bryant Farms Road
Charlotte, NC 28277

Text of the Meeting Notice:

NOTICE TO INTERESTED PARTIES

OF COMMUNITY MEETING

Subject:      Community Meeting - Rezoning Petition No. 2022-121 filed by RK Investments

                    Charlotte LLC to request the rezoning of an approximately 53.07 acre site located
                    between Rea Road and Elm Lane, just south of Bevington Place (see enclosed

         Date and Time of Meeting:

         Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

         Place of Meeting:

         South Charlotte Banquet Center 

         9009 Bryant Farms Road

        Charlotte, NC 28277

 We are assisting RK Investments Charlotte LLC (the “Petitioner”) in connection with a Rezoning Petition it has filed with the Charlotte Planning, Design & Development Department requesting the rezoning of an approximately 53.07 acre site located between Rea Road and Elm Lane, just south of Bevington Place, (see enclosed map) from the N1-A zoning district to the UR-2 (CD) zoning district. The purpose of this rezoning request is to accommodate the development of a residential community on the site that would contain a maximum of 636 dwelling units that would be comprised of a mixture of multi-family dwelling units and single family attached (townhome) dwelling units.

 The Petitioner will hold a Community Meeting prior to the Public Hearing on this Rezoning Petition for the purpose of discussing this rezoning proposal with nearby property owners and organizations. The Charlotte Planning, Design & Development Department’s records indicate that you are either a representative of a registered neighborhood organization or an owner of property that adjoins, is located across the street from, or is near the site.

 Accordingly, on behalf of the Petitioner, we give you notice that representatives of the Petitioner will hold a Community Meeting regarding this Rezoning Petition on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at the South Charlotte Banquet Center located at 9009 Bryant Farms Road in Charlotte. Representatives of the Petitioner look forward to sharing this rezoning proposal with you and to answering your questions.

 In the meantime, should you have any questions or comments, please call John Carmichael at (704) 377-8341 or email John Carmichael at jcarmichael@robinsonbradshaw.com.

Thank you.

Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.

cc: Council Member Ed Driggs, Charlotte City Council District 7 (via email)
Mr. John Kinley, Charlotte Planning, Design & Development Department (via email)
Date Mailed: August 4, 2023