CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of residents and dozens of speakers turned out Dec. 15 to oppose a rezoning request on Mount Holly Huntersville Road that would allow townhomes and related uses on roughly 8.7 acres.

Bridget Grant, the petitioner’s land-use consultant, said the project was revised in response to community concerns: the daycare was removed and the applicant now proposes up to 95 townhomes with commitments for a 12-foot multi‑use path, a left‑turn lane into the site and a $50,000 contribution toward intersection improvements. Grant said the petitioner eliminated the highest trip‑generating use to reduce traffic and will submit final plans to staff prior to zoning committee review.

Neighborhood speakers pushed back. Aaron Oliverio and other residents told council the rezoning would be inconsistent with the 2040 policy map and premature while the Outer West community area plan is still in progress. Kelly Pledger summarized tabulated traffic numbers and asked the council to defer action: “95 townhomes which would generate approximately 624 daily trips which is 2.3 times the impact,” she said, citing the petition’s traffic estimate and arguing that the proposal would add congestion to an already congested arterial.

Council members pressed staff and CDOT for technical detail. Jay Carpenter of CDOT described existing pedestrian and bike connections near the site, noted the Tom Hunter light-rail station is about 900 feet south, and said multimodal options exist; staff and CDOT also discussed how traffic-study thresholds and permit triggers determine when frontage improvements are required.

Petitioners and staff said they continue to negotiate access and infrastructure language. The petitioner noted limits on creating private access through neighboring land and the availability of right-of-way already dedicated by the adjoining church. Council members asked for cumulative-impact mapping and clearer timing for traffic improvements before moving forward.

Next steps: staff indicated outstanding transportation and design issues and said additional conditions may be negotiated and incorporated into the development plan; the hearing record will inform zoning committee and council deliberations in January.