HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — It's back to the drawing board for Jake Palillo. He's the developer behind "Waterside," formally known as Lagoona Bay. On Tuesday, Palillo withdrew the current application from the city, saying he is making some modifications to the design.
When it comes to the proposal, Palillo said developing the project has had its challenges and he's had to break out the eraser.
"Developers are like artists," Palillo said. "You like to develop amazing projects. It’s really what the town needed but I couldn’t get people behind it.”
Originally, the plan was to turn the blank canvas into an almost 300-acre community. It's sketched out to include a beach-front lagoon, an on-site hotel, and hundreds of housing options.
That plan had some in the community voicing concerns. In previous reporting by WCNC Charlotte, people shared concerns over traffic congestion. People also didn't like the idea of the project in Huntersville.
Palillo said he has made changes after it went through city leaders.
"We took all the retail out of it and made it only residential," Palillo said. "They would have generated $8 [million] to $6 million in sales tax. We also moved it to 415 homes. It started out at 1,086 but that had condos and apartments, then it went to 816 and now it’s 415.”
Palillo said he is looking to add a small boutique hotel and almost 150 cottage homes instead. He said he plans to go back to the city for a public hearing in December.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.