Council Quickies: High-Rise Hotel Proposed in South End
Charlotte City Council held a quick zoning meeting on Monday night, coming in under the two-hour mark.
Zoning meetings are split into two parts: zoning decisions, in which they vote on whether to approve or deny petitions; and hearings, during which developers are able to present their plans, residents are able to speak in support or opposition, and council members are able to discuss before the decision is scheduled for a later date.
Council on Monday kicked things off with a number of quick decisions before hearing a slate of new petitions. Below, we’ve included some notable examples of both from Monday night’s meeting.
On the Agenda:
- Zoning Decisions
- South End Hotel & Other Hearings
What’s next: Charlotte City Council will meet again on Monday, Sept. 22, for a public forum and business meeting.
Zoning Decisions
Council kicked off the meeting by approving a large development comprising 575 townhomes on 107 acres at the corner of North Tryon Street and Mallard Creek Church Road along the greenway. The development will be mostly for-sale, with a maximum of 20% of the units allowed to be rented out at any given time.
The plan dedicates a minimum 5.3 acres to Mecklenburg County for the construction of a public park in the future.
LaWana Mayfield casted the only No vote, stating that she doesn’t believe the infrastructure is there for such density. The development is estimated to add 4,331 vehicle trips to the surrounding roads per day.
Council approved a petition to greenlight the county to build a 27.5-acre park off East W.T. Harris just north of Albemarle Road. District rep Marjorie Molina pointed out that the park will be located directly across the street from the Spark Centro community hub and campus and said she’s “ecstatic” to see the park move forward.
Council deferred a scheduled decision on a proposed affordable housing development across from Tom Hunter Park in the Hidden Valley area, a project that was first discussed during a hearing at last month’s zoning meeting.
Since then, community members got the developer to agree to the inclusion of a crosswalk with a pedestrian hybrid beacon leading to the park but they still have outstanding issues that need to be addressed, according to district rep Dante Anderson.
South End Hotel & Other Hearings
Moving on to hearings, council rep Molina voiced her opposition to a proposed gas station on a vacant lot at the corner of East WT Harris Boulevard and Idlewild Road, saying that there are plenty of convenience stores in the area but not enough restaurants and grocery stores.
At least two of Molina’s colleagues, Dimple Ajmera and Ed Driggs, echoed her concerns and staff was already not recommending the petition for approval, so much work will need to be done if the project has any chance of moving forward.
White Lodging wants to build a high-rise hotel on the corner of South Tryon and West Bland streets in South End. The developers need an exception that will allow them to bury the parking lot under the building, including under the sidewalk going toward South Tryon.
City staff is concerned that the plan as proposed will include a curb cut for passenger drop-offs that will detract from walkability along West Bland Street. They are working with the developer to find additional community benefits that can balance any negative impacts before it comes back in front of council for a vote.
