What's The Continuity of our Neighborhood?

The new 2040 Charlotte UDO promotes "continuity" of neighborhoods. 

In other words preserve the character of our existing neighborhoods. Continuity the key word, can be further defined by style of homes, period of construction, streetscape look, type and age of trees and other factors.

One of the best ways to measure a neighborhood is by population density.  Charlotte's SouthEnd has 10 residents per acre whereas Mint Hill has an average of only 1 resident per acre. Clearly a defining characteristic (continuity) of both areas in the population density.

You would expect SouthEnd or NoDa to be densely populated and Mint to be lightly populated.

Using that same measurement based on the Neighborhood Profile Area (NPA) data for the neighborhoods surrounding the Gillespie Property we can quickly determine that the average density is 3-4 residents per acre. The total number of residents in 2020 was 16,565 living on 4,534 acres which calculates to 3.65 residents per acre.

The Gillespie Project proposal started at 1,100 units and 2,928 residents on 53 acres or more than 54 residents per acre. The developer then lowered the size of the project to 644 units which would generate 1,655 residents on 53 acres for a factor of 31. That is 31 residents per acre.

Keep in mind that the most densely populated apartment complex just outside the immediate area is The Arboretum Apartments with a factor of 11 or 1,497 residents on 136 acres. 11 residents per acre.

The proposed Gillespie Project nearly ten times more densely populated than the surrounding area. In fact it is even 3 times more densely populated than Charlotte's SouthEnd.

And that is hardly maintaining the "continuity" of our twenty eight surrounding neighborhoods that makeup the Piper Glen area.

Charlotte's Trees Fiction Versus Reality

The Gillespie Property Developer RK Investing, LLC has offered a "possible 30% tree save" that they are calling "Green Belt" in other words a "tree collar" that leaves the trees on the very edge of the property and in this case also in the flood zone somewhat intact.

In reality this is what this developer does.

RK Investors, LLC Proximity NorthLake Project

This alone fails the intent and purpose of Charlotte's recently adopted Unified Development Ordinance which specifically calls for the preservation, protection, and conservation of natural resources and historic resources.  

In other words the developer wants to take this old growth forest with hundreds of heritage trees from this ....

To this on Endhaven Road just 1 mile southwest:

Endhaven at Elm Lane June 2023

Or this at the new high school just two miles west:

Community House at Endhaven CMS Relife High School June 2023

A "tree collar" around the property is not conservation any more than the destruction of 70% of an old growth heritage forest is a "tree save" or preservation.

Even then with minimal requirements for tree saves, most developers ignore their promises and operate on what is called "payment in lieu of preservation". In other words just replace the old growth trees with a new sapling or write the check for a nominal sum and all is forgiven.

What Color is your Lake?

Here's another concern we have about the rezoning.

As you know the TPC Mitchell Pond is the preferred fishing ground for our Eagles Glen and Piper.  Unfortunately thanks to NC DOT and the 485 Toll Lane Construction their food source has been under attack.

This is the Mitchell Pond in 2020

And this was 2022 in January

The result of unmitigated and uncontrolled runoff from the 485 Toll Project 

And the source? An open culvert 4/10ths of a mile south surrounded by highway construction site work:

By January of 2023 we had slowed the flow and the pond started showing a slight improvement:

But that damage had already been done. The lake is now about a few inches shallower, the bottom covered in thick muck. The water temperature may have changed as well. There have been no fish kills that we are aware of but it remains a concern to our waterfowl and eagle's long term health.

North Carolina Fish and Wildlife is aware of this concern.

Still the fact that this happened is troubling. It is frankly unimaginable that the largest, most regulated, inspected and monitored construction project in Southern Mecklenburg County history could for months spew uncontrolled hard surface runoff, unrestricted silt and mud into a 20 acre lake. This is a stunning failure of regulatory and municipal enforcement.

Our fear, is that given the massive size and scope of the Gillespie Rea Road Project and that the adjoining wetlands are less than 200 yards away, that this environmentally critical area will suffer the same or worse fate.

We continue to ask Charlotte City Council to deny the rezoning request, protecting the area's wildlife, preventing additional burdens to our infrastructure, including public safety, roads and our schools and to preserve the character of our neighborhood.  

We hope you will consider signing our Petition and spread word about our Eagles and this property, the last remaining green space of this size inside the 485 beltway.

Read more about our Eagles Glen and Piper here: https://rearoadneighborhood.blogspot.com/

CMS Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools - Proposed Gillespie Project would Cost CMS $9,157,000.00

Part of the rezoning process requires the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools input. 

Turns out CMS isn't exactly offering a glowing endorsement of the Rea Road Gillespie Project.

"Adequacy of existing school capacity in this area is a significant problem." - CMS

In fact CMS states the cost to absorb the expected number of students would come in at $9,157,000.00. Discounting the completion of both the North Community House High School and the Ardrey Kell Middle School and we are still well over capacity. 

Keep in mind a shiny new building does not a school make, you need teachers and staff, bus drivers and custodians. Aren't CMS teachers spread thin enough?

Gillespie Project Would Damage Delicate Natural Habitat Resources

Just a few yards west from where speeding cars roar past the Gillespie Property driveway there is a stand of tall Pine Trees and Cedars that conceal an unnoticed treasure in our suburban landscape. 

The seldom noticed wetlands, that border the Gillespie Property on the opposite side of Elm Lane total more the 35 acres. Mecklenburg County owns 24 of those acres, and the White Oak Homeowners Association owns the remaining 12. 

The area known as Pooh’s Corner by local kids because of the shape of the boardwalk (a corner) is a cornucopia of nature beholding a storybook setting of a 100 Acre Wood. The Four Mile Creek boardwalk leaves Bevington Place and heads southwest running along the western bank of the marshland and pond and then turns the “corner” heading west again.  

This area is home to “everything” from King Fishers and Hawks, Red Wing Black Birds, and Eagles. In the late fall the Herron and Egrets will begin to gather and at times you can find a hundred or more in the trees along the marsh. Mammals large and small live here as well, from Otters to Coyotes and White Tail Deer. Plus an endless list of snakes and turtles, lizards and aquatic life. 

These wetlands are constantly changing and serve as a filter for the Four Mile Creek Water Shed and the Catawba Basin. 

The area is a shock absorber that helps compensate for heavy rainfall and in return provides an abundant source of food for birds and mammals of all types.

The Rea Road Gillespie Property is surrounded on three sides by a FEMA flood zone and these “wetlands”. 

More than 13 acres, nearly 25% of the Gillespie Property, is within this FEMA flood zone as well, and is unbuildable. Because the property has elevations that range from 610 feet to 540 feet (above sea level), it will require a massive amount of site work to make it buildable for a project the size of which is proposed by RK Investing, LLC. 

The size and scope of the site work, the resulting runoff and sediment, is a direct threat to these wetlands. Once constructed this massive apartment project would produce unimaginable amounts of stormwater water hard surface runoff. 

The problem with impervious surfaces is that they prevent the natural soaking of rainwater into the ground and slowly seeping into streams. Instead, the rainwater accumulates and flows rapidly into storm drains. This results in severe harm to streams like Four Mile Creek and wetlands like "Pooh's Corner" in three important ways:

Water Quantity: storm drains deliver large volumes of water to streams much faster than would occur naturally, resulting in flooding and bank erosion. Stream inhabitants are stressed, displaced, or killed by the fast-moving water and the debris and sediment it brings with it.

Water Quality: pollutants (gasoline, oil, fertilizers, etc.) accumulate on impervious surfaces and are washed into the streams.

Water Temperature: during warm weather, rain that falls on impervious surfaces becomes superheated and can stress or kill stream inhabitants.

In other words, the Rea Road Gillespie Project has the potential to destroy the delicate balance that has been established at “Pooh’s Corner” and within the FEMA flood plain that surrounds the Gillespie Property. 

Therefore, it is obvious that a formal environmental impact assessment is needed before any consideration is given to rezoning this property. An assessment that we believe would prove the need for an alternative to development.

Fireworks in Ballantyne over development plans

The Following was posted to The Charlotte Ledger on Friday September 29, 2023

by Lindsey Banks

Traffic woes take center stage in fiery meeting over proposed development off Rea Road, and some residents question city councilman’s integrity; ‘I’m a moral person, and I can’t be bought,’ he replies.

Nearly 300 people turned out for the second community meeting Thursday at St. Matthew Catholic Church about a controversial residential development in the Ballantyne area. The first meeting on the topic drew such a large overflow crowd that some people brought camping chairs to Thursday night’s meeting to ensure they would have a place to sit.

Hundreds of Ballantyne-area residents showed up for what turned into a fiery meeting Thursday night over a controversial 53-acre residential development proposed for an area between Elm Lane and Rea Road — with some attendees calling attention to Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs’ contributions from developers.

Developer RK Investments plans to build 640 housing units, with 500 apartments and the remainder a mix of single-family houses and townhomes on what is now wooded land. An earlier version of the project called for 1,100 housing units, but the number shrank after an outcry from local residents earlier this year. (The site is south of the Four Mile Creek Greenway, near the shopping center with the Trader Joe’s.)

Traffic was the big worry on the minds of residents Thursday night, who took to the microphone to argue that the area’s intersections are already overwhelmed by traffic and will only get more clogged by adding homes. 

Residents talked over and interrupted each other as they battled to be heard.

One woman pointed out that it takes two or three light cycles to get through the light at one of the area’s intersections already. “Frankly, we’re screwed,” she said. 

The traffic engineer responded: “There’s an existing traffic problem. It’s not my fault.” 

Then laughter filled the room.

Traffic engineers presented a study they conducted in April 2022 and explained what road improvements would be made to the area, such as new left and right turn lanes at certain intersections, modified signal timing and pedestrian crossings. 

The project has been a source of contention in the community for months, with residents saying they worry about environmental implications as well as traffic. Residents have said that a pair of American bald eagles live in the wooded area, and some worry the eagles’ habitat would be destroyed. A change.org petition that started in February called “Save the Eagles — Request Charlotte City Council Vote NO On Rezoning” has nearly 14,000 signatures. 

The topic of the eagles came up only briefly at the end of Thursday night’s meeting.

Driggs gets dragged: 

Driggs, who is the city council representative for the Piper Glen area and much of south Charlotte, found himself in the hot seat several times during the meeting, with some members of the audience questioning his integrity and accusing him of being influenced by developers who contribute to his campaign. 

Much of the room seemed in favor of Driggs, however, and applauded when he defended himself. Driggs is one of the council’s two Republican members and was first elected in 2013. He’ll be on November’s ballot for a sixth term but has no opposition.

Driggs didn’t say during the meeting whether he’ll vote in favor or against the current proposal.

At one point, Driggs was explaining how the city council approves rezoning requests, when a man interrupted him to ask how many people standing behind him (referring to the developer, architect and traffic engineers in attendance) contributed to his campaign. 

“I’ve heard about that going around,” Driggs answered. “I do get campaign contributions from the business community and the real estate community — no more than a couple thousand dollars from any individual, and they support me because I’m the only guy they can talk to. They don’t get any favors from me. I worked on Wall Street. I retired comfortably. I’m a moral person, and I can’t be bought.”

Driggs’ publicly available campaign finance reports show that he has accepted contributions from executives at a wide range of real estate-related firms, including a total of $1,150 in donations from three executives with RK Investments in March 2022, shortly before the developer indicated to the city that it would attempt to rezone the Elm Lane/Rea Road property.

In the last two years, the reports show, donors have given Driggs about $71,000, the vast majority of which came in amounts of less than $1,000. Generally, in Charlotte, developers tend to be some of the largest contributors to city council campaigns.

Later in the meeting, one woman said, “This is already a done deal. We know that. You’ve given us the opportunity to just come in and rage.”

Driggs raised his voice, “It’s not a done deal, alright?”

He later walked up to her, positioned himself a foot from her face, and said, “I haven’t given up hope — you have. I’m still fighting.”

The room applauded. 

The Ledger caught up with Driggs toward the end of the night, and he said the meeting was the “second worst” community meeting he’s ever attended. 

The proposal will go before the city council in the next several months, and if approved, construction would likely start next year. 

Stay up to date with the Charlotte Ledger here.

Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning Meeting No. 2

A perfect evening and wonderful turn-out for the second community meeting last night. A big thank you to the staff at St. Matthew Catholic Church for hosting the meeting. The meeting was a good show of force. With approximately 200/230 neighbors opposed to the rezoning of the Gillespie Property in attendance.

Several neighbors and the Rea Road Coalition managed to convince both WBTV and WSOC to send out news crews and they did shoot some video, hit some of our talking points and interviewed a couple of concerned citizens. 

The news story from WSOC is here.

The report from WBTV is here.

And Queen City News is here.

A report on the meeting was also posting by the Charlotte Ledger which is here. 

We appreciate the attendance of Mr. Wesley Davis from North Carolina State Senator Rachel Hunt's office and look forward to continued discussions to address our concerns about the zoning process. 

Unfortunately, rather than pass the mike around they made everyone line up. At one point it looked like the line for comunion. 

Most who lined up to speak were focused on traffic. Unfortunately, that seems to be a lost cause because the traffic study is flawed, and the developer says traffic is not his fault. Still they seem to know the study is flawed and yet will not move to correct it.

Piper Glen Neighbor Addresses RK Investing Speakers

Many of those in attendance agreed there’s no common sense to the traffic study and not even a thread of reality. Many also agreed that to continue to talk about traffic is the proverbial beating a dead horse.

Tree Canopy concerns were also voiced, but Ed Driggs stated that since Charlotte will grow by 50% in the next ten years any discussion about trees was a waste of time and that is why he voted against the trees.

Someone pointed out that the online petition had more than 10,000 signatures (13,872 to be exact).

One woman was upset to the point of tears that Ed Driggs was focused on racism. However, in defense of Ed, he was talking about housing diversity, not racial diversity. In other words, townhouses apartments versus single-family. It was one of those confusing moments during the meeting. The woman then left the meeting still visibly upset.

At one point Ed Driggs was asked how many of the Developer's team had contributed to his campaign. His answer was "I've heard about this". John Carmichael dismissed the question as not being a big deal and that is was only around $300.00 ($400.00 in 2022 and 2019 the only years we checked). Note the amount is not in question but the intent is. Read our post on Ed Driggs campaign finances here.

Ed Driggs made it clear he’s not going to speak against the developers and he will vote for the project. In the end Mr. Driggs will vote yes and he will claim that it was a compromise and a victory. 

Oddly enough Mr. Driggs sent out an email "blast" reminding everyone of the meeting just an hour and 45 minutes before it started.

In the coming weeks we intend to again hold a petition signing at the head of the Four Mile Creek Greenway, contact members of both the Charlotte City Council and the Charlotte Zoning Commision. 

If you would be willing to help with the table signing on Saturday October 7th from 9-3 please drop us an email. 

Glen and Piper would appreciate your assistance.