MATTHEWS, N.C. — Matthews residents are once again hoping to put a stop to a large development that could be built on Idlewild Road.
In 2010, residents along Idlewild Road rallied against plans for a town home and single-family home community off Stallings Road. The proposal was then denied by town council.
Now, former Matthews Mayor and Commissioner Kress Query is fighting the same battle but with a bigger project.
"That first one didn’t have any apartments in it," Query recalled about the 2010 proposal. "And this one has got, I think, three buildings of apartments."
Pappas Properties has submitted a proposal to build apartments, town homes, houses and commercial space on the Stallings Road lot.
HOA president of the nearby Windrow Estates neighborhood, David Gaertner, is against the plan too.
"It’s out of place, it’s overwhelming and it’s not conducive to the residents that are already here,” Gaertner said.
He said about 200 nearby residents have signed his petition for town council to deny the plan.
A traffic report says from 2016-2020 there were 141 car accidents on Idlewild Road near the proposed community. Gaertner worries the development will up that number and worsen traffic.
"We don’t have the infrastructure,” Gaertner said.
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The Town of Matthews says in its 2021 Eastern Gateway plan that the area has room for growth and “intense interest” from developers.
Staff made the plan last year after surveying how residents would want the land developed. The plan says about 68 residents showed support for mixed-use development but others are hoping it stays residential.
Matthews Town Council will hold a public hearing and presentation on the plans at the Nov. 14 commissioners' meeting.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.