The fate of plans for 3,900+ homes on 6 key sites looms in front of the Charlotte City Council; the latest on where things stand

 

Site plan for the controversial Gillespie rezoning in Piper Glen (left); map of The Ledger’s selections of the six hottest rezoning sites, with three close to the Providence Road corridor

by Tony Mecia

Nothing stirs the passions of Charlotte homeowners quite like the possibility of apartments down the street — and 2024 is shaping up to be a year of passionate debates over development plans.

As we enter the new year, there are a handful of big decisions looming in Charlotte over developers’ proposals that will determine the fate of a combined 3,900+ housing units around the city. Many of the disagreements hit on the familiar tension between the city’s need to build more housing and residents’ concerns over traffic, school crowding and open space.

We talked with Charlotte development insiders to compile this list of 6 key rezonings that will be coming up in 2024 and that will be blockbusters because of the level of opposition or because of their significance to the city. The City Council is expected to decide on these in the next few months.

Enjoy:

1) 640 homes in Piper Glen

• Location: Piper Glen/Ballantyne; 53 acres at 9621 Elm Lane, between Elm and Rea Road
• Proposal: RK Investments is proposing up to 640 homes on wooded land near the Four Mile Creek Greenway known as the Gillespie property — a mix of 500 apartments and 140 single-family houses and townhomes. The developer initially proposed 1,100 housing units but dropped the number after opposition.
• Opposition: Neighbors have an online petition with more than 18,000 signatures opposing the rezoning. They say they worry about traffic and also cite environmental concerns, pointing out that two eagles live nearby. At a heated community meeting in September, some residents called out City Council member Ed Driggs to his face for taking contributions from developers. (Driggs replied: “I’m a moral person, and I can’t be bought.”)
• What’s next: Public hearing scheduled for February
• Ledger intrigue rating: 

2) 917 homes + middle school near Rea Farms

• Location: Rea Farms area in south Charlotte; 125 acres at 11315 Tom Short Road, west of Providence Road and south of I-485
• Proposal: Childress Klein and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are proposing 917 homes — 682 apartments, 211 townhomes and 24 single-family houses — plus a new middle school on land known as the “Cato property” that’s now woods and open space. A lawyer for the developer told residents it will be a “really high-quality community” within walking distance to commercial areas and to the school.
• Opposition: At a community meeting last month, residents in the nearby Stone Creek Ranch neighborhood said they worried about the effect the new homes would have on traffic and stormwater runoff, and some criticized the apartments as being out-of-step with surrounding single-family neighborhoods. An online petition has about 2,000 signatures from residents opposed to the rezoning.
• What’s next: Public hearing expected in February or March, at the earliest.
• Ledger intrigue rating: 

3) 500+ apartments across from Charlotte Latin School

• Location: Providence Road corridor in south Charlotte; 14 acres at 9631 Providence Road, south of Kuykendall Road, across Providence from Charlotte Latin School
• Proposal: Developer C Investments 2 has assembled 7 parcels and is proposing a mix of market-rate apartments and affordable housing apartments. The numbers could change, but at a revealing online community meeting, the lawyer for the developer estimated it would be 425 market-rate apartments and 120 affordable apartment units in partnership with DreamKey Partners, in a four- to five-story building.
• Opposition: According to the community meeting notes, nearby residents expressed concerns about the effects on traffic and tree preservation. Some also said the development wouldn’t fit in: “Several attendees stated that they believed a 4-5 story building does not meet the character or charm of the neighborhood,” according to the developer’s written account of the meeting.
• What’s next: Public hearing expected by this spring.
• Ledger intrigue rating:  as of now; has been under-the-radar — could be upgraded to 

4) 1,500 homes + grocery store + office/retail along Providence Road

• Location: Both sides of Providence Road near the intersection with Old Providence Road; total of 115 acres
• Proposal: Three developers — Levine Properties, Northwood Ravin and Horizon Properties — have coordinated three rezoning petitions that they say would lead to the revitalization of an area that is decades old. When it was announced a year ago, developers said it would include a mix of housing types totaling more than 1,500 homes, including 225 affordable/workplace housing units. Developers have not announced the identity of the grocery store. The site encompasses the Crest on Providence apartments, the Gladedale apartments and the Providence Square Shopping Center
• Opposition: Any opposition has been mostly muted so far. Some of the residents who would be displaced by having their 50+-year-old apartments redeveloped say they support the move, while others have said they wish they could stay.
• What’s next: Public hearing expected in March or April at the earliest.
• Ledger intrigue rating: 

5) 350 apartments in Steele Creek

• Location: Steele Creek; 20 acres at 13607 Choate Circle, south of South Tryon Street, and east of Rivergate Parkway.
• Proposal: Toll Brothers Apartment Living is proposing 350 apartments in four buildings, including one of up to 50 feet. It had originally proposed 375 units. It would include a half-acre public dog park. The land is currently home to the Piedmont Kennel Club, which says it’s in an old building and wants to sell.
• Opposition: At a public hearing in August, one nearby resident said her main objection was “crimes from the apartment complex flowing into our neighborhood.” She also said owls live on the property. A youth sports association says it worries about the proposed development’s effect on adjacent ballfields.
• Next steps: Council decision tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.
• Ledger intrigue rating: 

6) Redevelopment of South End Business Park

• Location: South End Business Park, near Clanton Road between I-77 and South Tryon Street
• Proposal: Ram Realty Advisors has submitted a rezoning petition to allow the redevelopment of the South End Business Park with a mixed-use development. The rezoning offers few specifics and would allow for a mix of residential, office and retail, with a maximum height of 180 feet. At a meeting in July, the developer said the first phase would likely include multifamily residential, retail and open space to create “a loved place from day one,” according to an account of the meeting filed with the city. Office and hotel wouldn’t be in the first phase “given the economic market today.”
• Opposition: No apparent opposition.
• What’s next: Public hearing anticipated in February.
• Ledger intrigue rating: 

BONUS 7th REZONING: Wells Fargo sign

• Location: 550 South Tryon building (former Duke Energy Center building)
• Proposal: OK this one isn’t really development, but it’s interesting: Wells Fargo submitted a rezoning petition that would allow signs on the handle-bar-shaped top of the building.
• Opposition: No formal opposition; a few snarky comments on social media at the time. It’s hard to imagine given the flurry of signs on uptown buildings that this wouldn’t go through.
• What’s next: Public hearing sometime this year