Mooresville approves 55+ 'Millstone Ridge' with conditions and explicit no‑connection to Eastport Lane

The Mooresville Board of Commissioners voted to approve CZ 2025‑07, a conditional rezoning for a 73.22‑acre site at 1761 Mecklenburg Highway and 190 Eastport Lane to allow a 157‑unit, age‑restricted (55+) community marketed as the Courtyards at Holthouser Farms or Millstone Ridge.

The applicant, EPCON Communities, presented a plan calling for 86 detached single‑family homes and 71 attached townhomes, with a commitment to architectural enhancements and a dedication of 8.05 acres to extend the East‑West Connector. James Coley of planning staff told the board that staff found the map‑amendment standards met and that the developer had negotiated an updated Mitigation Measures Agreement (MMA) and 18 proposed conditions.

Whitney Hodges, presenting for EPCON, said the design emphasizes low traffic and preserved open space. Ken Cardenas, regional president for EPCON, told commissioners the company agreed to the conditions in the unified development ordinance and requested limited responsibility for a Presbyterian Road improvement unless another development failed to build its share of the mitigation measures.

Neighbors urged caution. Cheryl Descepolis of 194 Eastport Lane asked the board to deny rezoning or require a condition that Eastport Lane remain closed to through traffic, saying the local street "was not designed for the level of traffic a large subdivision would bring." Frank, a resident of the same block, raised historical concerns and asked that potential burial sites be researched; Michael Huffman and others pressed for written guarantees that Eastport would not be opened to through traffic.

In response, the applicant pointed to the UDO conditions and the signed MMA and said any change that would allow a connection "would have to come back before the board," including neighborhood notification and planning‑board review. Planning staff confirmed the rear setback between proposed townhomes and existing properties and said the site plan shows about 50 feet between buildings and the rear property line.

Commissioner Qualls moved to approve CZ 2025‑07 with the agreed conditions and explicit language reaffirming that there will be no connection to Eastport Lane; Commissioner Dingler seconded. The board approved the measure. The accompanying voluntary annexation (AX 25‑03) to allow access to town utilities was also approved earlier in the meeting.

What happens next: the ordinance with conditions becomes binding once adopted and recorded; any future change to the plan or a request to open Eastport Lane would require the developer to return to the town for review and public notice. Public services and traffic staff will monitor mitigation implementation and the MMA language will govern responsibilities if an adjacent developer does not build required improvements.