The planning board voted 4-3 to recommend the denial of the project. Town leaders will vote March 18 on the proposal.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. โ Developers’ hopes to expand Birkdale Village in Huntersville were hit with pushback from the town’s planning board.
The board voted 4-3 to recommend the denial of the project during a meeting on Tuesday. Members discussed the proposal for around three hours.
The plans, which include a hotel, apartments, office space, parking, and retail, mark the second attempt to revamp the popular shopping destination. In 2023, a similar proposal by the former owners was rejected by the Huntersville town board due to concerns over building height.
The new owner Jamestown submitted a rezoning petition that would allow for the construction of a 125-room hotel, a 150-unit apartment building, retail space, office buildings, and a parking deck. According to the proposed site plans, the office building could reach up to 115 feet in height, while the apartment complex may rise as high as 85 feet.
This time around, the rezoning petition will be considered by a newly elected town board, which could impact the outcome.ย
“If you approve this, think about the Pandora’s box that you’re opening,” one resident said on Tuesday. “You will have set a precedent that any developer can put up a 100 ft tall building along that economic corridor just because they asked for it.”
Petitioners said in a public hearing earlier this month that construction would not start until 2027 and would be phased, starting with parking.
Many of the questions and concerns brought up by residents during the public hearing show some residents are still not satisfied.
“Parking is one of the major issues that people have that stops people going to Birkdale Village,” Pete Romaniello, a local business owner, said during public comment. “Expanding the area is only going to make it worse.”
Petitioners shared that the current plan includes two parking decks, one of which replaces existing parking. This would generate 518 new spaces, though 134 of them would be reserved for people who live in the apartments.
The Huntersville Town Board of Commissioners will hold a vote on whether to approve the development on March 18.
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