CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A corporate landlord is eyeing a big plot of land on Independence Boulevard to build a new rental community.
Monday night, Charlotte city leaders held a public hearing on the proposal, which includes North Carolina Department of Transportation road projects that will drastically change the area.
The proposed community is by the developers behind The Vue and Uptown 550 would sprawl across 80 acres. The site would be located at the intersection of East Independence Boulevard and Sardis Road North near Matthews.
NCDOT also has plans to use the land to extend Sardis Road North and Arequipa Drive to Sam Newell Road.
The entire property is currently wooded and acts as a floodplain for Irvins Creek. Nearby homeowners worry that plans to replace most of the woods with a rental community will hinder their quality of life.
"We will have a separation of 40 feet," homeowner Sherry Sigmon said. "Hopefully you can understand our concerns about privacy, sound, and safety."
They're asking for a larger buffer between their properties and the development. The developer's attorney Collin Brown said the request will be taken under consideration.
The petitioner Northwood Ravin doesn’t have a site plan yet but hopes to build houses, townhomes, apartments, and commercial space across from Crownpoint Plaza. The plans also include leaving a portion of the woods to protect the floodplain.
If the rezoning petition is approved, construction on the community will start in September 2024. However, the road projects aren’t expected to start until 2028, so neighbors are still worried about backups on Independence Boulevard.
“It would be a traffic nightmare,” Sigmon said.
Brown explained NCDOT's plans to build an interchange and a bridge off Independence Boulevard. The land is currently zoned for low-density housing, but due to the major road changes, "it might not be the best site for low-density residential, which is why we’re having the conversation about the rezoning," Brown said.
Now that a public hearing has been held, the Charlotte Zoning Committee will consider the rezoning petition, and then the city council can vote on it.