Council Quickies: East Charlotte Railyard and Kingsbridge Triplex Development
Zoning meeting
Charlotte City Council held a zoning meeting on Monday night, zooming through a quick session in under two hours.
Zoning meetings are split into two parts: zoning decisions, in which they vote on whether to approve or deny petitions; and hearings, during which developers are able to present their plans, residents are able to speak in support or opposition, and council members are able to discuss before the decision is scheduled for a later date.
Monday night’s meeting saw no residents signed up to speak against any of the petition hearings and not a lot of discussion about decisions. Below we take a quick look at some of the notable parts that did occur during the meeting.
On the agenda:
- Kingsbridge triplex proposal and other decisions
- East Charlotte railyard and other hearings
Kingsbridge triplex proposal and other decisions
Council quickly approved a petition that will clear the way for the construction of seven triplex buildings, totaling 21 units, on 4.75 acres off Moss Road in Steele Creek.
Council rep Joi Mayo acknowledged that the petition had seen lots of community opposition during the hearing in October, mostly related to the proposed entry point, which would run traffic through the Kingsbridge neighborhood on Loughlin Lane.
She said a similar development would already be allowed there by right on the property, so this petition gave the opportunity to ask for community benefits.
Since the hearing, the petitioner has committed to including open space improvements that include a picnic table, bench and outdoor playground in the development, among other community benefits.
Council also approved a petition to build 24 units — two six-unit buildings, one quadraplex, two triplexes and one duplex — on 2.6 acres off Shopton Road across from Sandy Porter Road in Steele Creek, plus the construction of a community of single-family homes on 3.5 acres off Bellhaven Boulevard at Valleydale Road in Coulwood.
East Charlotte railyard and other hearings
Moving on to hearings, council got its first look at a petition to build a 150,000-square-foot rail freight terminal on 31 acres next to the county’s new recycling center on Pence Road. Staff is not recommending approval of the petition due to the fact that the property abuts a residential community to the north and Charles T. Myers Golf Course to the east.
Attorney Collin Brown, speaking on behalf of petitioner and property owner Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway, explained that federal law allows railroad companies to build whatever they want on their own properties regardless of local zoning laws. However, that only applies if the railroad is the only entity using the facility.
Aberdeen’s plan is to bring in an unnamed business to also operate out of the freight yard, which is the reason they need to get the rezoning.
The final hearing of the night involved a petition to build 65 townhomes reserved for folks making 80% or less of the area median income on a plot of land surrounding the University City United Methodist Church.
“We see this project as continuing our ongoing call of God,” says the pastor at University City UMC.
