Mooresville planning board recommends denial of three River Highway rezonings amid traffic, school and safety concerns

The Town of Mooresville Planning Board on an evening hearing recommended denial of three conditional rezonings along River Highway/NC 150 — CZ‑2026‑12 (Millhouse Road), CZ‑2026‑08 (Davis Development #2) and CZ‑2025‑18 (Market Lake Norman) — after extended presentations by staff and applicants, questions from board members about traffic and fire access, and strongly worded public opposition.

Staff presented each proposal in turn, describing how the sites sit within the town’s future character map as neighborhood residential and within tier two of the town’s growth map. For Millhouse Road (CZ‑2026‑12), staff said the 19.35‑acre site at 825 River Highway would be rezoned to Conditional Residential General to allow up to 99 attached dwellings (5.2 units per acre) and highlighted WS‑4 watershed overlay limits and an on‑site heritage tree. For Davis Development #2 (CZ‑2026‑08), staff described a 29.84‑acre plan for up to 261 multifamily units and two commercial outparcels; and for Market Lake Norman (CZ‑2025‑18) staff said the 30.7‑acre proposal would allow up to 190 attached residences and depends on connectivity to the Davis site for vehicular access.

Residents and board members focused repeatedly on access and public‑safety implications for NC 150. Shane McLellan, Mooresville’s fire chief, told the board that NC 150 is being operated as a high‑speed corridor with limited mountable medians, and that in some emergencies crews would need to use medians or opposing lanes to reach new developments, potentially adding response time. “It’s going to be a problem from the bridge all the way to Highway 21 for emergency services,” he said.

Neighbors warned that the three projects together would compound congestion and strain community services. Casey Pope, who lives adjacent to the proposed developments, urged denial of all three and said the applications “do not exist in a vacuum,” citing a combined increase of roughly 550 units and saying the town’s Mooresville Tomorrow (Comprehensive) Plan should guide decisions. Another nearby resident, Jimmy Villanueva, told the board the corridor is already overburdened and asked officials not to “place additional strain on our schools and public safety.”

Applicants and their consultants defended the traffic analyses and design choices. Andrew Eagle of Kimley‑Horn, who prepared one traffic study, said the TIA assumed 40% of site trips would enter from the west and 60% would come from the east with many drivers making U‑turns at signalized locations; he also said the proposed accesses were right‑in/right‑out and 100% of site trips would be right‑turn entries under the current designs. Developers detailed staging and build‑out timelines: one applicant estimated site work could begin in 2027 with a roughly 2.5–3‑year sales period for a 99‑unit project; others projected vertical construction beginning around 2030 with multi‑year buildouts.

Board members probed whether the three separate applications should be considered together because they share connectivity and would affect the same stretch of River Highway. Some members argued that combined approvals would fund mobility improvements identified in the town’s adopted mobility plan; others said each request must receive an independent finding of reasonableness. Several members also pressed applicants to remove certain commercial uses (applicants agreed to strike data centers and food‑truck court uses from the Davis application).

After deliberation the board took separate votes on each rezoning. A motion to recommend denial of CZ‑2026‑12 (Millhouse Road) carried on a voice vote. The board then recommended denial of CZ‑2026‑08 (Davis Development #2) and of CZ‑2025‑18 (Market Lake Norman) for similar reasons, advising the Town Board that the proposals are inconsistent with the comprehensive plan and raised public‑interest concerns about scale, access and emergency response. The planning board’s recommendations are advisory; the Town Board will consider final ordinances and any conditions attached to annexation and zoning.

What’s next: the planning board’s denial recommendations will be transmitted to the Town Board for consideration. Applicants and staff said they will continue refining plans, coordinating on the mobility connections identified in the town plan and working with NCDOT, but the next formal step is Town Board review of each rezoning request.