HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — As Huntersville Mayor-elect Christy Clark said, it's no secret there are immediate concerns that come with rapid growth.
Clark asked, "How do we make sure that the things that we build in this town are beneficial for the town and don't cause any more headaches for our community?"
While current town leaders have recently rejected plans for some of the big changes to Birkdale Village and the massive Laguna Bay project, Clark said there is still room for development.
"We have this wonderful thing called the 2040 Plan," Clark told WCNC Charlotte's Jane Monreal on Flashpoint. "It's the guideline for how we're going to build Huntersville and our vision for the future. And so, we need to make sure that projects that come to town are reflective of what we want to have Huntersville be in the future."
Huntersville has already had plenty of residential development, which Clark explained is needed because of the town's growth.
"But I would love to have some really wonderful businesses and corporations come here and settle in and support our community as a place for folks to work, so they can live and work in the same place," the former state representative said, adding, "As we continue to look for the future on our downtown to turn it into a place where families can come and go and have dinner and hear music and settle in for the afternoon and not feel like it's a place to drive through."
Revitalization is top priority, she added.
"If you've ever driven through what we call downtown Huntersville, you can see it's in desperate need of a facelift. And some businesses come there, especially ones that are reflective of our community. And we would love to have small businesses in the area, find a place to settle and grow in our downtown," she said.
When it comes to transit, Clark said she agrees with current Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales, calling on the Metropolitan Transit Commission to get more power over CATS.
"I do think that we need a more regional approach to how CATS, and actually, transportation in general is done. And that was one of the things I prioritized when I was in Raleigh and it's something that I would continue to prioritize as mayor," she said.
Clark added, she thinks the agency is doing its best but believes leaders can find a better approach for outlying areas around Charlotte, so people don't have to wait hours to use public transportation.
"There's big talk about that red line coming. It's been a talk since I moved here in 2010 and I hope that we can continue to have conversations towards bringing that type of rail up here. I know businesses up here would love to have their employees have a way to get to work that didn't involve sitting in [interstate] 77," she said.
"It's going to have to take everybody at the table and we're going to have to find a pathway that works for everyone," she said, "Making sure that we are protecting the heart, historic homes that are along the rail line, but also making sure that it's something that works for our town and works for all of Mecklenburg County as well."
Clark said she looks forward to sitting down with Huntersville residents and learning what they want.
"We want to make sure that the doors are open and that it is a welcome place for everybody to come and share their thoughts and what they would want to see for Huntersville. And make sure that it is something that we build into something people really want and are happy with," she said.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
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