Huntersville planning board recommends Dashian convenience store with fuel and car wash, adds conditions and modifications

The Huntersville Planning Board on April 28 recommended approval of a rezoning request from Dashian Food Stores Incorporated to allow a convenience store with gasoline sales and an accessory car wash at the southeast corner of Statesville Road and Hambrite Road.

Planning staff told the board the proposal covers about 2.67 acres and would rezone the parcel from Corporate Business (CB) to Highway Commercial Conditional District. Staff recommended approval as consistent with the Huntersville 2040 community plan provided several conditions are met: formalizing NC DOT commitments on the site plan, addressing outstanding Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) items, replacing developer schematic notes with staff-approved notes, and resolving minor staff comments. Staff also asked that the applicant clarify how the street-facing interior space will be activated — whether with art, architecture or merchandise — on the final plan.

Applicant representatives said the principal building would be no larger than 6,000 square feet and the accessory car wash would be up to 1,350 square feet. The applicant requested three zoning modifications: (1) allow sideyard parking to occupy up to 68% of the principal frontage line, (2) permit a Hambrite Road driveway encroachment into the 30-foot undisturbed buffer to align the entrance with the animal hospital across the street, and (3) allow the dumpster to be located within the sideyard. Planning staff indicated support for those modification requests and the board later incorporated them into its recommendation.

During the presentation, the applicant showed elevations and pedestrian access from the intersection and told the board Dashian emphasizes made-to-order food and indoor/outdoor dining. Civil engineering testimony described proposed DOT improvements that staff and the applicant said resulted from the TIA and included right-turn lanes and a new left-turn lane on Hambrite Road; staff said the TIA had been reviewed and applicant commitments to meet DOT requirements should be made explicit on the site plan.

Board members pressed the applicant and staff on tree mitigation (staff said the project remains in compliance under the town's tree ordinance and that the applicant would mitigate a shortfall by planting about 13 additional trees on site) and on safety and permitting near the Colonial Pipeline easement adjacent to the site. One planning board member noted the pipeline's controversial history in Huntersville and urged due diligence on any proximity risks, particularly given the site's closeness to JM Alexander Middle School. Applicant and staff said they were not aware of a local prohibition and would confirm whether additional state or federal permitting or restrictions applied; staff pointed to NCDEQ and the Army Corps permitting processes for regulatory oversight.

A motion to recommend approval incorporating staff's findings and the applicant's three modification requests passed. The board recorded the motion and directed the applicant to formalize DOT/TIA commitments on the revised site plan; staff will prepare the written recommendation and the final rezoning decision is scheduled for May 19.

Quotes drawn from the meeting include planning staff's statement that staff "could be in support as [the proposal is] consistent with the character area recommendations of the 2040 plan as long as" the listed conditions are met, and applicant representative John Carmichael's assurance that the team would "address all the comments and staff concerns" and file a revised site plan by the following Monday.

Next steps: staff will confirm whether any additional permits or reviews related to the Colonial Pipeline proximity are required, the applicant will submit a revised site plan that formalizes TIA/DOT commitments and tree-mitigation measures, and the final public hearing and decision will occur on May 19.