CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Developers are eyeing a massive plot of land in University City to build about 650 units of housing.
The area has seen exponential growth over the last several years and it’s showing no signs of slowing. Neighbors told WCNC Charlotte they know change is inevitable, but they want it done responsibly.
"Every day now, when we see the deer crossing through our yard, we wonder where they're gonna go," Joe Speidel said.
Speidel's house sits next to 150 acres of woods between North Tryon Street and Old Concord Road. NVR, the owner of well-known home builder Ryan Homes, hopes to buy the land to build two neighborhoods: One with hundreds of townhomes and condominiums and the other with hundreds of houses.
Speidel called the large plot of undeveloped land by his house "rare" for the city of Charlotte and knows it won't stay that way forever. However, he’s worried about the project’s potential impacts on the environment and his neighborhood.
"It'll change our way of life," Speidel said. "It'll change the landscape. It'll change the way that this entire area operates because of the traffic."
The developers’ plans turn the quiet dead-end street in front of Speidel's house into one of the main entrances to the proposed single-family home neighborhood.
"This tiny little country road here is supposed to support somewhere on the order of 1,400 vehicles passing per day, and there are no dotted lines here and there are no plans by CDOT to make any accommodations on the street," Speidel said pointing to Rockland Drive.
The proposal is one of more than 20 active rezoning petitions around the University City area.
Charlotte is in desperate need of more housing, but Councilmember Reneé Johnson said Monday night the rapid growth is stressing the city's infrastructure and people.
"We as a council really need to take a more responsible look at zoning," Johnson said during the proposal's public hearing. "[Residents] are not feeling the impact of one petition; it’s the cumulative effect of the traffic, the schools, the reduction in tree canopy."
Developers said the NVR project preserves 27 acres of trees on the 150-acre property and includes a six-acre public park. They also compromised with neighbors by reducing the total number of housing units from 683 to 649.
"That was a huge improvement over the original design," Speidel said. "We'd like to see it continue in that direction."
A public hearing was held Monday night on the proposal, which now heads to Charlotte’s zoning board for consideration.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.