[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5975569,"mediaKeyId","5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236","parentId",5841283,"title","Planning board backs convenience store rezoning with conditions to preserve future connectivity","audioSeconds",2590,"startMs",127000,"endMs",2717000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236&start=127&end=2717","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236/thumbnail_127000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5975569/Huntersville/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-backs-convenience-store-rezoning-with-conditions-to-preserve-future-connectivity","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5975569-3b5a1555dd24ee1fbbe17ade72326027/orig.mp4?Expires=1775242793&Signature=WMs6BQYUtk9dqrCZPcY2PrOfKLJzL73At9i0wu-GlnV52I9o26YoOFjLivKRRRE8u8PKglvU98rAtrtazZ62~5BxllpB8c1llRQcy~lv8nYAikFDay5bq4ZeyYQi~SPsQJRSvrk1DrjQv7hriNuf3hrWEWrvFnrBytXwNGhc0vYSmXZ8P~JUdxG-S51cNq2jNj9CaTRU6ZOCq5FyJNbf9cs4uFdGA0k0Fy9vlVzys7DCCOkmDn4FrhFExsschsONZKGy-KJghbT2onQbA8C~ZUBtCst4w22M9eCchQROOOEB8~G4ntu-e2XDvIOUAcXJ3u89q6wrb08gMvT7O1UFEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Huntersville, NC","date","2025-09-24T00:00:00Z","article","Planning board members on Sept. 23 recommended approval of a conditional rezoning for RU-25-11 (Lehi Creek Retail), a proposed convenience store and fuel/convenience development at the Mount Holly–Huntersville Road and Beatty’s Ford Road corner, with conditions addressing sidewalk completion, retaining-wall modification and future connectivity. The board said the site fits the town’s LU 5.1 land-use policy and that the project provides transportation and commercial benefits for the area.

The recommendation matters because the parcel has steep grades and a history of related approvals dating to 2008, and the board’s conditions aim to prevent the new project from precluding development of the adjoining parcel to the north. Staff had recommended against the rezoning as submitted because the plan would reduce required buffers and create grading/connection challenges for the parcel to the north.

Board members and staff described a difficult topography on the northern portion of the lot, where a 35-foot slope and a proposed retaining wall will affect the ability of a future road connection to the parcel north. Staff said that keeping a public street stub to the north was important to preserve the developability of the adjacent parcel and to support the 2040 plan’s goal of an urban village and connected street network. The applicant said engineers had modeled grades and that the current plan is constrained because the adjoining owner to the north (the Houston property) will not permit grading on their land; the developer offered to record a cross-access easement and a commitment to remove the retaining wall when the north parcel develops.

Public commenters raised concerns about ordinance compliance for a separate hotel item on the agenda (see separate article on the Hilton proposal) and about impacts when projects reduce buffers and alter grade. The applicant’s team — including developer Jeff Mafly, civil engineer Brian Upton and project consultant Joe Sailors — described prior design work that modeled a future connection and said the proposed design preserves buildable area while offering to deed an access easement to the north and to bond the remaining sidewalk until the neighboring parcel completes its grading.

Traffic and operations details provided at the meeting: the developer’s traffic consultant, Patrick Montero, said the southbound left-turn storage on Mount Holly–Huntersville Road to access the site is about 225 feet in the design (existing storage roughly 125 feet) and that a 300-foot right-turn lane is included. The left-turn lane was described as required by NCDOT for a left access into the site.

After discussion, the planning board moved to recommend approval of RU-25-11 with explicit conditions including: a binding agreement to guarantee future modification to grade and retaining wall upon development of the parcel to the north to ensure connectivity; bonding the remainder of the sidewalk until the adjoining parcel develops; and other modifications shown in the staff report. The motion as presented said the rezoning is “reasonable and in the public interest” because it aligns with LU 5.1 of the 2040 plan and provides services and transportation improvements for the community. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval to the town commissioners.

The developer said he will record cross-access easements and is open to working with staff on final grading and sidewalk details. Staff and the board emphasized that the applicant must provide the final engineering and grading plans that demonstrate the stub connection is feasible or document the easement/removal arrangement that will preserve future connectivity. The formal rezoning will next be considered by the town board; any required construction permits must include final construction-level grading and erosion-control plans.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Board 9-23-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Planning board members on Sept. 23 recommended approval of a conditional rezoning for RU-25-11 (Lehi Creek Retail), a proposed convenience store and fuel/convenience development at the Mount Holly–Huntersville Road and Beatty’s Ford Road corner, with conditions addressing sidewalk completion, retaining-wall modification and future connectivity.","taxTitle","Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina","taxId",4128,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5975552,"Planning board recommends Greenway Waste landfill rezoning amendment with SUP to address stream relocation and community impacts",3158,8485000,11643000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236&start=8485&end=11643","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236/thumbnail_8485000.jpg","/articles/5975552/Huntersville/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-recommends-Greenway-Waste-landfill-rezoning-amendment-with-SUP-to-address-stream-relocation-and-community-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5975552-f1f0de64eb0dce8b182d80e2650156fd/orig.mp4?Expires=1775242793&Signature=UwIlF-ZQmiNzxzy~F7gtgznJ4-uiA2ypviRXlyo5y2JW3v8rX0GBxlt-nvGl6OcYiLGv3o8OjDzbteJAiEc5U2HK6lnck2cSd14Exw1hg7WhucKhW49DO50yvw6uY357yI5wJiVAyRtqTz7hk9aF8GgBfsFJ9YPQRA~5dLxiNFFNI40yT-kDAhoXKBcPBV80EE2gFrct3syRErCAYHaj4zBoHF7bfyGuxqUfn~nTwHRVPUqaGBdlAZXcramv~5rcTx8BBuWc-tVAq0OyTUNcc0dLUSkztRHGz6Jpde3vGQqRs1zUte5lB4Rof7Gc~7G~3cUXV9CAXi85Hc6mDia1yA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Huntersville’s Planning Board on Sept. 23 recommended approval of R-25-09, a conditional-district rezoning amendment requested by Greenway Waste Solutions (NorthMeck) to reconfigure and expand an existing construction-and-demolition (C&D) landfill operation near 15300 Holbrooks Road. The proposal would relocate an on-site tributary, fill portions of the existing landfill cells and construct a lined cell area that the applicant says will improve leachate capture and environmental controls. The board’s recommendation was conditioned on the town board’s later approval of a special use permit addressing environmental remediation, monitoring and access conditions.

Why this matters: the landfill has operated since the 1990s and the proposed amendment would change internal cell configuration and routing of a tributary. The applicant has received state and Army Corps permits for impacts to wetlands/streams (401/404 and related approvals) but staff and the board emphasized that town-level special-use permitting must still examine contamination, groundwater monitoring, stream mitigation, and traffic/road maintenance approaches for Holbrooks Road.

Key points discussed: staff said the applicant adjusted the rezoning boundary to preserve an 80-foot residential buffer along Holbrooks Road where possible and added a note to the plan committing to build a multiuse path and to reserve right-of-way for a future north–south connector identified in the Greenway Plan. Engineers said the proposal would reroute an unnamed tributary around the landfill and that new lined cells (the proposed Cell 3) would be installed to capture leachate and provide engineered containment; the applicant said the new engineered cell would be lined (synthetic liner) and include monitoring and treatment. The applicant reported existing groundwater monitoring wells, twice-yearly sampling and active remediation work in the event of detections; they said a prior trace vinyl-chloride detection in 2019 had been addressed with remediation investments and that the current plan includes further in-place groundwater treatment options if needed.

Transportation and community impacts: the board discussed the historical use of Holbrooks Road to access the site and the town’s prior condition (dating to the 2016 rezoning) that the landfill seek alternative access and limit Holbrooks access by Feb. 2034. Staff and applicant said the planned new Commerce Station Drive connection to the south (recently approved industrial/warehouse development) creates an opportunity for the landfill to redirect truck traffic off Holbrooks; the applicant committed to limit Holbrooks access to emergency use and to coordinate road maintenance/repairs with NCDOT and town staff. The applicant showed community investments and a long-running partnership with the Pottstown/Holbrooks neighborhood (scholarships, roadside maintenance support and other contributions) and said they would build a multiuse Greenway path and propose sidewalk connections for residents as part of a future coordinated master plan.

Board action and next steps: the planning board recommended approval of the conditional rezoning amendment but conditioned that the town board must approve the required special use permit; the SUP hearing was scheduled separately. Staff asked for final plan clarifications — specific uses on parcels, detailed SWIM-buffer mitigation plans and confirmation of contamination cleanup documents and long-term groundwater monitoring commitments — to be provided during the SUP process. The board unanimously recommended the rezoning amendment forward to the town board with those conditions.

The applicant said it will continue work with DEQ, the Army Corps and town engineering staff on mitigation and monitoring and will coordinate with adjacent landowners and developers to secure a new truck access route that is intended to remove regular truck traffic from Holbrooks Road.","The board recommended approval of a conditional rezoning amendment for Greenway Waste Solutions’ proposed internal expansion of the NorthMeck C&D landfill (R-25-09), conditioned on special-use-permit approval and commitments on truck access, Holbrooks Road impacts, environmental remediation and greenway connectivity.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5975559,"Planning board conditions Home2-Hilton rezoning, asks applicant to lower building height",3890,4613000,8503000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236&start=4613&end=8503","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236/thumbnail_4613000.jpg","/articles/5975559/Huntersville/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-conditions-Home2-Hilton-rezoning-asks-applicant-to-lower-building-height","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5975559-c5a04b637c994275c306da6e3f2a2ebf/orig.mp4?Expires=1775242793&Signature=Ro8EayshBEgnSGVA8v4BU5FmG~5eKyY1l-2ricIumKTYSAOL74055bd~60CF0OC8zGsW4bGroMe7tzepC3qWN-215YlmPAFk9I3pocmp1SRwOWStaU5HSU5LsLNk8qTRQ-ZFsXTLia-3PNZOvA6dN4UoaTKMQBumiiOH-T6xU9aLTMXAjmkX4i4u1We48evotPt01pZw0WamfNNJuXU0GIrjB7qThgYCUBZBNOn20YOg9wp219~0ArX~ADhVdkPh35Q~h7qs~IUtA1gB5StWdrUCf2OgfwnAjuXWwJ0J9WVIWQYE7B3QbH9Q0V0Q2y7khYYIp7hFiNeP5LN62CC0Gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Huntersville Planning Board on Sept. 23 recommended approval of R-25-07, a conditional rezoning for a Home2 by Hilton hotel at 13830 Statesville Road (proposed 117-room hotel), subject to additional conditions and a reduction in the proposed maximum height. Staff raised compatibility concerns about a 70-foot hotel located close to existing residentially zoned lots behind the property and requested additional architectural detail, clearer buffer planting information and an approved stream mitigation plan before the town board vote.

Why this matters: the site sits on Highway 21 near Hillcrest Drive and abuts established residential lots. The hotel brand’s preferred design, as proposed, reached five stories and a 70-foot height measured to street grade. Huntersville’s highway-commercial building-type standards typically limit building height to 36 feet; a taller hotel requires conditional zoning and additional scrutiny about separation distances to residential zones.

Staff told the board that the proposed hotel would normally require a 210-foot separation from the nearest residential property if the building is 70 feet tall (three times the height), but the applicant requested a reduction to about 100 feet. Staff did not support the height/spacing modification as submitted; staff recommended alternatives such as lowering the building height, enhancing the buffer planting and limiting retaining-wall impacts to preserve the benefit of the buffer. The plan also showed a proposed 4,000-square-foot urban open space at the corner of Highway 21 and Dallas Street, but the town and applicant needed confirmation from NCDOT because that open space sits within an NCDOT drainage easement.

The applicant team — led by attorney Susan Irvin and supported by project engineer Peyton (last name not given) and owner PM Patel — described plans for an upgraded packet of hotel services, a commitment to enhance buffer plantings (more trees/shrubs than ordinance minimums, including 12-foot-evergreen specimens spaced every 20 feet in the second planting row) and a 6-foot masonry wall plus an 8-foot opaque fence along the rear to mitigate headlight glare and visual impact. The applicant also said that the Best Western immediately south is owned by the same owner and that the Home2 hotel would share an address and driveway with that property to avoid routing guests through adjacent residential streets.

Environmental and engineering staff raised two substantive points: 1) a proposed impact to a jurisdictional stream (a SWIM buffer) will require a mitigation plan approved by the appropriate agencies, and 2) retaining-wall heights in parts of the buffer (10–15 feet at the tallest location) may negate some buffer benefit unless the wall and grading are reduced or planting is staged to achieve screening. Staff also asked for final architectural elevations before final support could be offered under LU 8.2 (design excellence) and for a confirmation from NCDOT that the proposed urban open space can coexist with their drainage easement.

Board action: after discussion, the applicant indicated willingness to lower the building height; staff said the applicant could reduce the profile to about 64 feet by lowering (or ‘burying’) part of the first floor grade. The planning board amended its motion to make a 64-foot maximum height a condition of the recommendation; the board otherwise recommended the modifications shown in the staff report and asked the applicant to finalize buffer details and the stream mitigation plan. The motion passed by majority vote (three board members opposed).

Next steps: the applicant must provide final elevations, a mitigation plan for the stream impacts and confirmation from NCDOT on the urban open space. The recommendation will be forwarded to the town board; final permitting and construction require full construction-level grading, erosion control and stormwater approvals.","The board recommended approval of a conditional rezoning for a Home2 by Hilton hotel at 13830 Statesville Road but amended its motion to require a lower maximum building height (64 feet) and asked the applicant to provide detailed final elevations, enhanced buffers and a stream-mitigation plan.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5975564,"Planning board recommends Second Street Village rezoning that includes 15 perpetual affordable units",1586,2889000,4475000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236&start=2889&end=4475","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5841283-6760ed511f66244f074c4292d5f73236/thumbnail_2889000.jpg","/articles/5975564/Huntersville/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Planning-board-recommends-Second-Street-Village-rezoning-that-includes-15-perpetual-affordable-units","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5975564-96600b62f55d32414c01e01b706b2d13/orig.mp4?Expires=1775242793&Signature=ahTD6dgZG60Row5HAC2E4kQp4FZTbbEGo5cK-7L2E-7w3IyGPkUvta8vcz08CFUagVb~mLS860U9eVHo0F09AXekvkN3UcLdYgj54F0M0~lrnkkat3jvnujYU-7hKIuig7WWMxi7TivAVirRaNeRKFthtokPHc4YIBf75x9A-o2AbZIvuDqvZuYxxyIFVrUtFVKWOOpUGKiuVYtltxYNLI-1LFnO3I9eZw7mVVIlYNazz-ZpRnwQO1vt2THeNnnNgRNYAFvCID69cu9mcf8q4PQcntnt-TOdn8tQLkuq125FuktYbSzuXiFpqltXs4Ol~4yPO1-NY6EcsDVfFZ6uhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Huntersville Planning Board on Sept. 23 recommended approval of R-25-08, Second Street Village, a rezoning for about 4.799 acres at 204 North Church Street to allow 61 townhomes and an apartment building that will contain at least 15 ‘attainable’ housing units. Planning staff supported the application and the board’s motion referenced the project’s consistency with multiple 2040 community-plan policies and the downtown master plan.

The rezoning includes 128 parking spaces (a mix of garages, surface lots and on-street stalls), six urban open spaces, a 12-foot side path to form part of a scenic trail, and a commitment to deed the attainable-housing parcel to a nonprofit partner. The applicant told the board they expect to donate a fully improved parcel with at least 24 parking spaces and a 3-story structure of roughly 7,000 square feet to a nonprofit partner (Lake Norman CDC, We Build Concord or similar) that would operate and lease the units at 80–120% of area median income; the applicant described that housing as permanent (in perpetuity) and said they expect 15–18 units depending on final design and program needs.

Staff supported six modification requests — including increased attached-housing percentage, reduced buffers and rear setbacks, and changes to on-street parking — as consistent with the downtown master plan and the 2040 plan’s goals for increased urban density and better-designed urban open space. The applicant committed to provide amenity details for the designated “boonerr/vooner” pedestrian-first passageway and to show how the urban roof space (the “vooner/boon roof”) will be furnished and landscaped to meet ordinance expectations.

Board members praised the project’s density, design approach and the permanent affordable-housing commitment. Several asked staff and the applicant to detail the rooftop amenity materials (for example where permeable pavers versus other surfacing will be used) and to confirm whether the small park at Second and Walter would be dedicated to parks & recreation or remain part of the HOA with public access. The applicant said the corner park will be open to the public, and that they are in discussions with Parks & Rec but will maintain it initially within the project while allowing public use.

Timing: the applicant estimated a permitting and grading period of roughly six to eight months and construction for homes in a five- to seven-month build cycle after that; earliest on-site grading was estimated at about a year out. Staff said previously raised stormwater concerns had been resolved for the rezoning stage but requested final plan-level responses to outstanding comments, including TIA/TIA thresholds if the unit count changes.

The planning board’s motion recommended approval and explicitly referenced support for the modifications in staff’s report; approval will be forwarded to the town commissioners. The board asked for clear documentation of rooftop/vooner amenities and confirmation of the affordable-housing delivery mechanism before final town action.","The board recommended rezoning at 204 N. Church St. for 61 townhomes and a 15-unit attainable housing apartment, approving a number of modifications and asking for clearer rooftop-amenity details and final staff comments to be addressed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning board backs convenience store rezoning with conditions to preserve future connectivity

Planning board recommends Greenway Waste landfill rezoning amendment with SUP to address stream relocation and community impacts

Planning board conditions Home2-Hilton rezoning, asks applicant to lower building height

Planning board recommends Second Street Village rezoning that includes 15 perpetual affordable units