Huntersville board approves Station South rezoning for mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development
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Summary
The Huntersville Town Board unanimously approved rezoning roughly 21.29 acres to a transit-oriented mixed-use district for the Station South project, approving multiple ordinance modifications and conditions including tree, height and block-length changes and a $5,000 minimum public art requirement.
Huntersville — The Town Board on Dec. 16 approved a conditional rezoning for the Station South development, a proposed mixed-use, transit-oriented project on about 21.29 acres near the future commuter rail station.
Town planning staff recommended approval and presented the proposal’s major elements: a mixed-use subdivision with commercial buildings, a parking deck intended to serve the rail depot, eight apartment buildings, eight townhome buildings and a pedestrian-centered urban open space. Staff recorded the applicant’s plan as including up to 348 total residential units, plus 64 townhomes, and a plan for five attainable housing units (two at 80% AMI and three between 80% and 120% AMI). During the hearing the applicant described phase 1 as “over half of all the commercial” on site and said phase 1 would include apartments, the village nucleus and infrastructure meant to give the development immediate mixed-use character.
“Over half of all the commercial that’s going to go on this site…will be built in phase 1,” the applicant said while answering questions about phasing and amenities.
The staff report identified six modification requests to local ordinance standards, including block-length exceptions, allowing a single row of street trees along Segal Street (rather than two), limited side-yard parking with screening, adjustments to floor-area-ratio rules for the TOD district, and an increase in allowable townhome height to permit an additional floor in the northern townhome area. The board’s approval included all modification requests and a condition that the developer install an art piece valued at no less than $5,000.
Commissioners who spoke in favor cited the project’s alignment with Huntersville’s 2040 Community Plan and the recent voter-approved transit funding. One commissioner said, “I really like it. I like that it’s forward thinking and is incorporating the future transit plan in the design,” while another highlighted landowner support and the project’s potential benefits for nearby small businesses.
The board’s motion approving the rezoning included explicit conditions (block-length modifications for specified blocks, tree-row reduction along Segal Street, screening for side-yard parking, FAR adjustments for certain commercial uses, relief under article 3.20.13(e)(5), a 36-foot height limit for attached homes in the townhome area, and the art piece requirement). The motion passed unanimously.
What remains: the approval grants conditional rezoning subject to the standard engineering, permitting and plan-review steps; the developer and staff will proceed with final plan and construction permitting if the project continues to meet town conditions.
Clarifying note: during the hearing staff referenced “up to 348 total residential units,” while an applicant comment later referenced roughly 278 apartments and 64 townhomes; that numeric difference appeared on the record and was not resolved during the meeting.
