WEDDINGTON, N.C. — It was another meeting full of discontent over the proposed 80-acre, mixed-use Weddington Green development on Monday night.
The 80-acre mixed-use project, developed by Provident Land Services and its owner Tom Waters, would bring new homes, retail, restaurants and green space in a town center-style development between Providence Road and Weddington Road.
It would be located across Weddington Road from the stores, at Weddington Corners, and from the Weddington Town Hall.
The public comment period during Monday night's Weddington Town Council meeting was a continuation of a conversation that began on March 14.
"I moved here because this is a unique place to live," one woman said as she spoke to council members and the mayor. "If you want that type of growth -- move in any direction less than 10 miles and you can get those things that they're wanting to do."
If approved, the development would be built behind the Weddington United Methodist Church's Fellowship Hall. The land is currently mostly undeveloped and wooded acreage.
Maps presented before the Weddington Town Council, show the proposed development would include attached, single-family homes; detached, single-family homes; and open green space, including an amphitheater.
Waters told WCNC Charlotte that he's made numerous changes to the original plans after hearing from the community, including traffic pattern changes and reducing the number of homes.
He said he will continue to listen to those who live in Weddington.
"I want to hear, listen and adjust the plan wherever we're able to," he said. "Lot of good ideas in the Weddington community. We want to extract those and apply them to our plan."
Those opposed say the development would create more traffic in an area they say is already congested and would tarnish the town's small-town feel.
Diana Iannacone has lived in the same house for 30 years. She raised her family in Weddington because of the quiet rural feel.
“When we first moved here, people would ride their horses,” Iannacone said.
Now, she's fighting to keep Weddington's identity.
“Because that’s where we chose to live, at least that’s what we thought," Iannacone explained. "If I wanted to live in Charlotte, that’s where I would’ve put down roots."
Over 2,7000 signatures have appeared on this petition opposing the development.
The Union County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a permit request for a pump station that would be used by Weddington Green. Without this access to sewage and wastewater management, developers would need to seek alternatives. However, this county-level decision does not prevent Weddington Town Council from potentially approving the rezoning request for the space.
The population of Weddington, located south of Charlotte along Providence road, was approximately 13,000 in 2021, according to census data.
Across Union County, data shows more than 150,000 people have moved to Union County in North Carolina over the past three decades. In February, Union County officials published their 2050 Comprehensive Plan to discuss how they plan to handle the new development.
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.