Planning staff backs conditional rezoning for Lake Norman Tennis Center expansion; board asks about NCDOT driveway

Planning staff presented a conditional rezoning (CZ202506) for the Lake Norman Tennis Center at 205 Overhill Drive that would update the existing concept plan and create a pathway for expansion.

Veronica Bateson, planner II, said the property is owned by Lake Norman Tennis Center LLC, the applicant is Providence Partners Inc., and the site is roughly 8.89 acres in Ward 2. Bateson said the conditional zoning district first was approved in 2013; the current proposal relocates open space and adds an updated fire turnaround to serve a new building. A neighborhood meeting on March 18 drew no public attendees and staff had received no written public feedback, Bateson said.

Bateson said the planning board unanimously recommended approval on May 27. Commissioners asked whether the future building would require an NCDOT driveway permit and whether NCDOT had weighed in; Bateson said she would check and provide that information to the board. Commissioners also asked about the proposal’s buffer and tree preservation; Bateson said the plan adds a tree preservation area and solidifies existing open-space commitments.

Board members noted the site sits inside an industrial park with surrounding industrial uses and that the applicant group has expanded other recreational facilities in town. Bateson said site access, buffers and architectural standards for the Fabric Point Business Park would still apply and that staff would obtain NCDOT input on driveway cuts before final approvals.

The board received the presentation; no final vote was recorded at the briefing.