HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Developers hoping to build a massive beach club resort in Huntersville have made changes to their proposal in hopes of getting it approved.
Town leaders were set to vote on plans for the controversial Lagoona Bay project Monday night but deferred their vote due to the changes.
The $800 million project would turn an empty plot of land along Sam Furr Road into a gigantic community with membership fees, including a man-made lagoon with water sports, dining, and retail options.
The project originally called for a luxury hotel and convention center, but developer Jake Palillo nixed them in an effort to ease congestion concerns. The new plans, now called "Waterside," also cut down on housing by 365 units. For example, Palillo told WCNC Charlotte he is replacing the planned 180 townhomes with 90 single-family cottages.
The plans still include apartments and condominiums, which Palillo said will not be higher than three stories. The lagoon has been reduced from 10 to eight acres, and will still have membership fees and be called the “Lagoona Bay Beach Club.”
Restaurants and retail are still included in the updated plans.
Some neighbors say they're still not sold on the project, saying they're worried about traffic headaches in an already crowded area. "I don't think anything you do is gonna help with traffic concerns," Palillo said Monday night. "As we continue to grow, we gotta continue to expand roads."
Palillo is also one of the developers behind the Symphony Park retirement community being built on Sam Furr Road. The development is projected to be ready by January 2024 and is very close to the proposed Lagoona Bay proposal.
A small neighborhood called Willowbrook sits between Symphony Park and the proposed Lagoona Bay.
"It's going to destroy the neighborhood feeling that I have," Willowbrook homeowner Scott Swafford told WCNC Charlotte.
Swafford's house is right next to the farmland where Lagoona Bay would be built. His street would become a connection between Sam Furr Road and one of the Lagoona Bay neighborhoods.
"Ultimately, I’ll leave," Swafford said. "I don’t want to live with a speedway in front of my house."
Not everyone is against Lagoona Bay. Willowbrook resident Mike Jocoy told WCNC Charlotte he thinks it'd be a nice addition to the growing town.
"I don’t think there's any reason not to do this," Jocoy said. "It's vacant land, it’s in a great area."
Once the Waterside plans are formally submitted to town staff, the rezoning process will start from square one and a public hearing will be scheduled.
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