CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Plans for a massive manufacturing facility in west Mecklenburg County have been approved by Charlotte City Council.
Residents that live right next to where the plant is going were hoping councilmembers would rally against it, but the developer’s rezoning petition passed 8-3 Tuesday night.
“I’m just sad that people don’t matter as much as buildings anymore,” Kimberly Helms told WCNC Charlotte has she held back tears.
Helms’ neighborhood is surrounded by woods, but the 146 acres of warehouses, office space and distribution facilities will soon be replacing those trees.
“Now, when we look out the window we’re going to see a wall of concrete and trucks rather than the woods,” Helms added.
Helms said she and her neighbors are worried about noise, pollution, and traffic from the site.
The plans include a required 75-foot buffer between the property and the neighborhood. Developers will also will create a park and trail as part of the property for public use.
However, neighbors wanted the buffer to be much larger and to save more of the trees.
Collin Brown, attorney for the developers, argued in an October city council meeting that half the land is already zoned for industrial use, so their plan for one large facility is the best fit.
“Instead of seeing these parcels just developed separately with lots of driveways, this allows us to have a uniform transportation plan and put some meaningful improvements on the table,” Brown said.
The improvements include paying $250,000 to make the intersection at Rhyne and Mount Holly roads safer and more efficient.
However, Helms worries it won’t make a difference with the influx of trucks from the large facility.
Charlotte's transportation department said it's in the design stage for the traffic signal that’s set to go in at the busy intersection.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.