Driggs, Edmund <Ed.Driggs@charlottenc.gov> | Tue, Mar 7, 2023 at 8:05 PM | |
| To: Edmund Driggs <ed@eddriggs.com> | ||
| ||
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Monday, March 6, 2023
Piper Glen Master Association Email Regarding Gillespie Rezoning Petition
March 4, 2023
To: Piper Glen Residents
From: Piper Glen Master Association (PGMA) / Rezoning Steering Committee
Re: Gillespie Property Rezoning Petition Update
We have received several inquiries from residents regarding the Public Hearing which based on the 2022 Rezoning Schedule was tentatively scheduled for 3/20/23. We want to assure the Piper Glen community that the Public Hearing for this rezoning petition will not be held on 3/20/23.
As soon as more information regarding the Pubic Hearing becomes available we will alert everyone so that you can make plans to attend the hearing at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. We will also be sending our alerts regarding the scheduling of Community Meetings that are required to be held by the Petitioner prior to the Public Hearing.
Stay tuned for additional updates as more information becomes available.
Sent on behalf of the PGMA,
Old St Andrews at Piper Glen Association, Inc.
Below Email From Charlotte City Staff Regarding Same:
The petitioner has the opportunity to submit revisions on 3/13. If they submit revisions at that time, staff will review those plans and determine by the end of March if the petition will be proceeding to an April public hearing.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Action Item: Email Charlotte Zoning Committee Members
Long before Charlotte City Council votes to approve or deny a rezoning petition the zoning committee will have their vote.
Please keep in mind that these committee members are just citizens and serve our community as volunteers.
But it would be a good idea to let them know your objections to the Gillespie Rea Road Rezoning Petition in advance of their Charlotte Zoning Committee Work Session meeting.
The best way to do this is via email. You'll find a sample email objecting to the rezoning request below.
Charlotte Zoning Committee Members
Phillip Gussman, Chairperson, Zoning Committee
planning@gussmanconsulting.com
Douglas Welton, Vice-Chairperson, Zoning Committee
douglas_welton@einsteinslegacy.com
Ronnie Harvey, Zoning Committee
Melissa Gaston, Zoning Committee
Courtney Rhodes, Zoning Committee
Will Russell, Zoning Committee
Sample Letter:
Zoning Committee Member ______________:
I just wanted to let you know of my opposition to the RK Investors Charlotte, LLC (Rezoning Petition 2022-121) also known as the Gillespie Rea Road Property.
RK Investors Charlotte, LLC has requested to change the zoning from the current single family (R-3) to UR-2 (CD) zoning to accommodate the development of multi-family dwelling units,allowing for the construction of more than 1,100 rental units and towering six story apartment buildings.
Additional reasons the zoning change is unacceptable are as follows:
•
Charlotte’s population and traffic has grown dramatically during the last
decade as have the demands for City/County Services. Unfortunately, the ability
to provide these services has not kept pace with the growth, in fact across the
full spectrum of government services (Public Safety, Sanitation, Water,
Schools, Utilities, U.S. Mail, Roads and Transportation) there has been a
decline in staff and frequency, efficiency and quality. In short, this area of
Charlotte does not have the infrastructure to accommodate 1,100 additional
homes and the resulting traffic.
•
Charlotte property owners have the reasonable expectation that the character of
their neighborhoods will remain unchanged, and that property zoned R-3 single
family and designated now as Neighborhood 1, will remain zoned single family and neighborhood 1 and not abruptly become a towering
multifamily rental complex which is not in keeping with the character of the
area.
•
The wildlife in this area includes beavers, coyotes, an abundance of deer,
racoons, opossums, hawks, and owls large and small, who have adapted admirably to
the incursion of suburbia. The 18 acres of wetlands immediately adjacent to the
property, serves as a rookery to both Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons, that would
be adversely impacted by the hardscape surface water runoff from the
development. It is of utmost concern that a pair of American Bald Eagles who
have called Piper Glen home for the last twenty years are also in jeopardy, as
the development will come within 900 feet of their nest, that they have
maintained for 16 years or more and will destroy nearly 30% of their
natural habitat.
I encourage you to vote against the rezoning petition.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)
Friday, March 3, 2023
A Small Victory Charlotte Adds Second Zoning Sign
Sometimes you have to take a win when you can.
One of the first things I began to understand about the Gillespie Rezoning was the lack of awareness regarding the Rezoning Petition.
While Piper Glen neighbors knew many of those in Old Ivy, White Oak and other neighborhoods along Elm Lane did not.
So I sent an email to Charlotte Planning Zoning and Design Manager John Kinley on February 19th:
Good Morning Mr. Kinley
I'm inquiring about the Gillespie Property Rezoning Petition 2022-121 9621 Elm Lane Charlotte, NC 28277.
I noticed the yellow "Rezoning" sign a month or so ago on Rea Road but there's no sign on Elm Lane, the actual address of the property. Accordingly many of the residents of White Oak and other subdivisions along Elm Lane are unaware of the rezoning request.
Was this intentional? Or just an oversight?
I look forward to hearing from you.
A day later I received this reply:
We typically follow State law regarding rezoning signs which doesn’t require that signs have to be placed on every street front.
We posted on the Rea, a major thoroughfare while Elm is a minor thoroughfare, however I do see your point that many residents along Elm may never travel Rea and see the sign.
I will look into this a bit more and see if we can get an additional sign posted.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
John Kinley
Project Manager, Entitlement Services Division+Rezoning
Planning, Design & Development
600 East 4th Street | 8th Floor| Charlotte, NC 28202
Friday morning sure enough there was a second sign installed.
Thanks John!
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Neighbors push to save bald eagles from impending development in south Charlotte
Views: 2,315
A petition to stave off the development of a sprawling retirement complex near Piper Glen in south Charlotte has gained more than 4,300 signatures over the last few days. Advocates point to a pair of nesting bald eagles as one reason they’re asking city leaders to vote “no” on an upcoming rezoning request.
Why it matters: Communities frequently push back on plans for new housing development, citing everything from traffic to preservation of green space. Neighborhood opposition is frequently one of the main hurdles local governments face with ushering in new housing options. City leaders must balance those concerns with addressing the demand for housing — which only grows as our population swells.
Between the lines: Bald eagles aren’t exactly a common sight in the Charlotte area.
- Previously endangered by pesticides and hunting, the bald eagle was removed from the Endangered Species list in 2007, per the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
Context: Real estate investment company RK Investments wants to rezone 53 acres for a retirement community with up to 1,100 units, site plans show. The property is on the east side of Elm Lane and west side of Rea Road, south of Bevington Place.
- Amenities onsite could include a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a dog park, trails, benches and a lake, per the site plans.
- The land is owned by The Gillespie Family Limited Partnership and Elm Lane Holdings, as CBJ reported last summer.
What they’re saying: The neighbors’ petition makes a number of arguments against the density that the proposed development would bring, including that the area does not have the infrastructure adequate to support a development this size.
- They also note that the development would disrupt the habitat of a number of animals in the area, including beavers, coyotes, deer, raccoons, opossums, hawks, owls, Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons, among others.
“It is of utmost concern that a pair of American Bald Eagles who have called Piper Glen home for the last two decades are also in jeopardy, as the development will come within 900 feet of their nest … they have maintained for 16 years or more and will destroy a large portion of their natural habitat,” the petition reads.
Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, whose district 7 includes the property in question, said the city’s review of the rezoning petition will include an investigation into the possible impacts on protected species.
“I’m sure the local interest in the eagles will serve to focus their attention on that species, but it is too early to say what weight that will carry in deciding the future of the petition. It should be noted that the petition cites other important reasons the signatories have for opposing the petition,” Driggs told Axios in an email.
- He added that he does “not intend to support it in its current form.”
Developer RK Investments did not respond to a request for comment.
Is Go Fund Me The Answer?
Unfortunately Charlotte leaders have squandered much of the tax dollars set aside for public parks.
Even bond approvals have languished due to COVID and politics. The result is the park land that would have cost 5 million in 2019 is now likely 10 million. Perhaps more.
Only 3 (66 Acres) percent of the land within the Piper Glen area is considered vacant. Within Mecklenburg County only 16 percent and that number has rapidly declined from nearly 20% in 2011.
While there are many sources and environmental trusts for funding none can act alone.
The concept would be simple acquire all 53 acres, gift enough to the county to create a real parking lot for the Four Mile Creek Greenway, with the idea of providing much needed relief for the parking lot nightmare at Trader Joes.
Perhapes Trader Joe's and Piper Glen Investors, LLC the owners of the shopping center would kick in some seed money?
Any thoughts?
Chip Starr