Council Quickies: Proposed Central Avenue Complex Draws Debate

Charlotte City Council met for a zoning meeting on Monday, returning from summer recess for its first meeting since June. Much of the discussion centered around a proposed apartment complex on Central Avenue in the Elizabeth neighborhood. 

Zoning meetings start with a decision segment, during which council votes to approve or deny petitions that have already come in front of them during the hearing segment of a previous meeting. It is during those hearing sessions that developers have a chance to present their proposal and residents have a chance to speak in opposition. 

Below are some of Monday night’s notable decisions and discussions.  

On the agenda:

• Zoning Decisions
• Zoning Hearings
• Central Avenue Complex Proposal

Zoning Decisions

Following a 30-minute delay, the meeting got started with the consent agenda, which consisted of seven petitions, including one that clears the way for a 187-unit apartment complex in what’s currently a wooded area between Steele Creek Road and South Tryon Street in southwest Charlotte. The consent agenda passed unanimously. 

Council unanimously approved a petition to build 110 townhomes and four duplexes on a property located directly across the street from the Sunset Village neighborhood on Sunset Road in northwest Charlotte. There are currently two single-family homes on the property.

Council also unanimously approved a petition for a 300-unit apartment complex on 20 acres on the Huntersville border near North Mecklenburg High School. The property is bordered by Statesville Road to the west, Alexandriana Road to the north, and Twin Lakes Parkway to the east, with a Tesla dealership located to its south. 

Staff did not recommend approval of the petition due to surrounding uses being heavy in manufacturing & logistics. The zoning committee had voted to approve 5-1.

Zoning Hearings

Moving on to hearings, one neighbor showed up to speak about a proposed business park (two buildings, 85,000 square feet, one story) on East WT Harris Boulevard north of Rocky River Road, asking that the tree buffer be increased so nearby residences on Lost Boy Court can’t see the buildings or their parking lots.

Staff warned that council needed to limit conversation about the plan because no actual site plan had been submitted, meaning they could not confirm what the developer’s representative was claiming he planned to build on the property. The developer’s representative, however, did say he would work with the neighbor to ensure that proper tree preservation took place. 

Before council unanimously approved a rezoning to allow for the new Hornets practice facility next to Spectrum Center (bordered by North Caldwell, North Davidson, East 5th and East Trade streets), we got the latest look at a potential design, looking west on North Davidson (above). 

Central Avenue Complex Proposal

A proposed petition on Central Avenue at Piedmont Street would allow for a 315-unit apartment complex with at least 1,500 square feet of commercial/retail at a maximum height of 85 feet. Developers would commit to installing a pedestrian traffic signal at Central and Piedmont. 

A number of speakers attended the meeting to oppose the development, most of whom live on Sunnyside Avenue at the back of the planned development. The debate was reminiscent of a proposed development in the same neighborhood, Elizabeth, that neighbors opposed in the spring leading to changes from the developer before approval in June. 

“This is the kind of thing that ruins neighborhoods,” said one neighbor on Monday, claiming that he was speaking on behalf of a larger group of folks living on Sunnyside Avenue who sat behind him. He pointed out that developers continue to cite the benefits of density near the coming light rail station but the Silver Line plan they are citing is no longer going to happen.

The next speaker said she and her neighbors believe in the need for more density to address the housing crisis but believe there are responsible ways to do that without ruining neighborhood character. She asked council make the developer bring the plan in line with the Community Activity Center place type.

“We’re asking that [council] not set the precedent that Community Activity Centers can be large apartment complexes with hardly any mixed use,” the neighbor says in conclusion.

Dante Anderson started council discussion, stating that she had already been paying close attention to this plan as the community meeting she attended saw 60 people show up.

Anderson said residents want to see more goods and services included in the project. The developer responded that their research has shown it’s not a great location for retail. “It’s hard for us to commit to an amount of goods and services beyond what we’ve included in this plan.”

While the developer has committed to 1,500 square feet of retail/commercial minimum, the rezoning would allow for up to 5,000, though they said they don’t plan to increase from the minimum at this time. The developer said he envisions a bodega/grab-and-go shop in the space.

“I feel like we’ve seen progress on this petition but I feel like there’s significant work that needs to continue,” says Anderson. Adding an additional 300 apartments to The Gibson’s 200 will “add stress to what is already a highly congested, highly traveled corridor along Central.” She asked that developers continue to work with residents to find compromise. 

Driggs pointed out that the petition claimed trip generation would actually go down from the former use (a Skyla Credit Union that has since vacated), estimating that car trips generated by the property would go from 1,967 per day to 1,897 with the proposed rezoning. Driggs said he just doesn’t find that claim to be “intuitive.” 

LaWana Mayfield said she’s concerned that the Unified Development Ordinance is transitioning Charlotte’s neighborhoods, adding that the petition in question doesn’t appear to sync up with the city’s ‘staying in place’ policy. A city staff member responded that their recommendations are based primarily on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan place types.

Tariq Bokhari suggested that the city needs to update its plans, petitions, etc. based on more recent revelations regarding transit, specifically in this case the Silver Line, which doesn’t appear to have a future but was a major part of the petition.

Before adjourning the meeting, Mayfield pointed out that, over recess, the chambers were upfitted to include additional speaker podiums that are lower and not located on carpet so as to be more accessible to folks using wheelchairs who want to address governing bodies.