Huntersville board approves Jamestowns Birkdale Village rezoning with conditions, $2.5M bridge commitment

The Huntersville Town Board voted to approve rezoning petition R-24-11 for the Jamestown-led expansion of Birkdale Village on March 18, approving a set of conditions intended to address parking, infrastructure and community concerns.

The rezoning, described at the meeting as Birkdale Village Phase 2, passed with four yes votes and one no vote. The board attached conditions that set maximum building heights, require additional parking decking, secure 10 attainable housing units in perpetuity and obligate the developer to provide $2.5 million toward the Townley Road bridge project, including up to $500,000 for pre-construction costs and $2,000,000 in construction reimbursement tied to the parking-deck permit.

Supporters said the project will add office, hotel, residential and retail space and bring new tax revenue and jobs to Huntersville. Opponents and many residents focused on parking, traffic impacts on the narrow streets in and near the village, the timing of nearby state road work, and language in late changes to the rezoning notes that opponents said could allow piecemeal sales or future amendments without additional public hearings.

Staff and the applicant told the board the proposal meets the towns 2040 community plan goals for mixed-use development and that the applicant updated plans to add parking capacity. Town staff reported existing parking at Birkdale of 1,931 spaces and said the proposal would result in roughly 607 net new spaces across the project after the added levels of parking decks. The developer agreed to add an extra level to Parking Deck B during the meeting, increasing the projects stated net new parking.

Key conditions included: an office building capped at 100 feet in height; a multifamily building capped at 85 feet (up to 150 units); the hotel limited to a full-service boutique standard comparable to an Autograph or AC by Marriott brand and set at 80 feet; sidewalks at least 10 feet wide in specified areas; 10 attainable rental units held at or below 100% of area median income (AMI) in perpetuity with annual AMI verification to the town; Parking Deck B expanded to a maximum of five levels (with an option to add two additional levels later); and a phased construction plan requiring Parking Deck A to be fully operational before certain other staging and demolition could occur.

The motion also required the petitioner to provide up to $2,500,000 toward the Townley Road bridge capital project in the towns CIP. Up to $500,000 may be used for pre-construction costs (studies, design, right-of-way acquisition) on a reimbursement basis; reimbursement of the $2,000,000 construction portion would not commence until the petitioner had obtained permits necessary to build Parking Deck A. The funding agreement had a target execution date in mid-May 2025 and a final deadline no later than Sept. 1, 2025; the petitioners obligation is also set to terminate if the town does not begin construction of the bridge within eight years of the developers start of Deck A construction.

In public comment, small business owners and an outparcel owner raised concerns that the hotel location and loss of surface spaces would hurt visibility and parking access for tenants. The outparcel owner, David Krug, presented language from an existing declaration and said the petitioners plans would remove 109 surface spaces in front of his building and create a shortfall relative to estimated hotel parking needs. Jamestown representatives, including Frances Vaughn and Frances Spahn, said the project includes public parking and programming intended to increase foot traffic for local businesses; they said construction would be staged to minimize disruption and that the hotel parking would remain public, not reserved or paid on a guest-only basis.

Commissioners who supported the rezoning emphasized the long-term tax and economic benefits and described the deal as providing negotiated improvements (notably the bridge contribution and additional parking levels) that would not be guaranteed if the town denied the rezoning. Commissioners who opposed or expressed reservations cited process concerns, late edits to rezoning notes, remaining questions about the hotels impacts on outparcel businesses and unresolved infrastructure timing with NCDOT.

The planning staff report and the final motion submitted at the dais were entered into the record and incorporated into the conditions. The official motion text recorded at the meeting lists the projects revised space totals, phasing steps, parking conditions, attainable housing requirement and the $2.5 million Townley Bridge commitment; it also sets deadlines for executing the funding agreement and conditions for when the petitioners reimbursement obligation would begin or end.

The town board carried the rezoning by recorded vote; the motion carried after members listed their votes from the dais.