Pineville approves controversial electric substation
Pineville town council voted 3-2 to build a controversial electric substation near a neighborhood that straddles the NC-SC state line
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Pineville Town Council votes to approve controversial electric substation during a 5-minute meeting; ‘Can’t wait until the next election’
The Pineville Town Council voted to build an electric substation on a 1-acre site at Miller Road and Greenway Drive in Pineville. The town says the substation will be similar to the one located at the entrance of Jack Hughes Park (pictured right). (Photos courtesy of Town of Pineville)
by Lindsey Banks
The Pineville Town Council voted 3-2 Monday night to approve a controversial plan to build a new electric substation on a 1-acre plot of land within the town limits. The special meeting lasted barely 5 minutes.
The new substation has been a hot topic over the past few months for North and South Carolina residents who live nearby in a neighborhood that straddles the Pineville-Fort Mill, S.C. line. Neighbors, who said they first found out about the substation on Dec. 5, say they worry the substation will harm their health and property values and threaten their community’s character.
The proposed location is a 1.01-acre site in Pineville off N.C. 51 near the Miller Flea Market and the McCullough neighborhood. The land slated for the substation is currently owned by Charles Miller. If Miller and the town do not reach an agreement to sell and purchase the land for the project, the council will hire attorneys to condemn the property under eminent domain, according to town officials.
More than 60 people showed up at Monday night’s meeting, during which there was no discussion among town council members or an opportunity for residents to speak. A public meeting on the substation plan was held last week to allow residents to voice their concerns more directly to the town council.
“I thought long and hard about this,” Mayor David Phillips said before casting his vote Monday, “but I am prepared to vote [on] this situation. I, too, will vote … to place the electric substation on the Miller Road site.”
Some residents who were in attendance spoke out after the meeting, saying they felt they were being ignored. A few left the meeting in tears.
“That’s it?” one resident yelled toward the council as they got up to leave.
“Can’t wait until the next election,” one resident shouted as he stormed out of the room. The council members did not respond.
“That’s not what I was expecting,” Pineville resident Bob Kirby told The Ledger after the meeting. “I thought we were all going to get a chance to vote.”
Kirby said he has lived on the North Carolina side of the McCullough neighborhood for 12 years. He said the proposed site is currently used for flea market parking and was completely full when he drove by last Sunday afternoon.
Another local resident, Alexa Kirby (no relation to David Kirby), said that as a South Carolina resident, she has felt powerless throughout the whole process.
“We tried to work with them,” Alexa Kirby said of Pineville leaders. “They didn't want to listen to us. In three minutes, they have their mind made up.”
“They've known about this need [for a new substation] since 2019,” Alexa Kirby added. “It all boils down to poor planning and communication.”
David Lucore of Electricites, the Huntersville-based electric utility company that will build the substation, told The Ledger in December that it’s necessary to have the project completed by the end of 2025 to prevent electric overloads and blackouts.
Next steps: Town Manager Ryan Spitzer told The Ledger that the town attorneys will send the property condemnation paperwork to Miller, the property owner. The town must wait 30 days to officially file the paperwork.
Spitzer said that within that 30-day window, there’s a possibility that a town council member can call another special meeting to stop the condemnation process.
Mayor Pro Tem Ed Samaha and council member Danielle Moore were the two dissenting votes.
Related Ledger articles:
“Electric substation plans under fire in Pineville” (Jan. 5, 2024)
“Neighbors upset over plans to build an electric substation in Pineville” (Dec. 7, 2023)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks