The hot debate over Huntersville's downtown
Plan for housing behind Discovery Place Kids aims to enliven ‘sleepy’ downtown, but some residents object: ‘We’re not NoDa’
This article originally appeared in the October 2, 2020, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with original, business-y information and analysis for the Charlotte area. Sign up for free:
About 200 homes envisioned in downtown Huntersville. Is that the best way to attract more shops and restaurants?
by Tony Mecia
A fight seems to be brewing over the future of downtown Huntersville, with nearly 1,900 people signing a petition objecting to a 10-acre housing development behind Discovery Place Kids.
North State Development of Cornelius is proposing to build 140 apartments, 61 townhouses and 12,000 s.f. of non-residential space on Gilead Road on vacant land in downtown Huntersville. But some nearby residents say they’d prefer more shops and restaurants and not so many apartments and townhomes, which they worry will drive down nearby property values and clog the streets with traffic.
Downtown development twist: It’s a bit of a twist on the usual objections to development. Residents routinely are suspicious of high-density developments in suburban areas near single-family housing because of worries about the effect on traffic and schools. But communities tend to be more welcoming of projects in downtown areas, and towns often pump money into downtown revitalizations in hopes that developers will show up and start building. Planners usually believe that more residents will lead to a revival of retail and restaurants that people usually say they want. The saying goes that “retail follows rooftops.”
A mix of apartments, townhomes and non-residential space proposed for downtown Huntersville is causing a stir. The project by North State Development would be beside Discovery Place Kids (left). (Rendering courtesy of North State Development.)
As in other small towns in the Charlotte region, everybody seems to agree on what they want: a walkable, thriving downtown with shops and things to do. The disagreement seems to be how to make that happen.
Teacher Amber Kovacs, 33, who lives about a mile away from the proposed development with her husband and two kids, says she’d prefer a park and more shops and restaurants — not a bunch of apartments that will increase traffic.
“When you look at all 9 acres being rezoned, you’re going to have apartments, apartments, apartments, townhouses that are dumping into neighborhoods,” she says. “The infrastructure can’t handle it. … We’re not NoDa. We’re not Birkdale. We don’t want to be.”
Some residents even launched a website, savedowntownhuntersville.com, that accuses the developer of wanting to “ruin downtown Huntersville for profit” with a project that will “destroy the character of our downtown.”
Huntersville’s planning department supports the idea behind the development but wants some of the details ironed out, says principal planner David Peete. It’s all about “trying to strike the appropriate balance,” he says. The goal, he says, is to go “from a very sleepy situation to a vibrant little downtown.”
David Dupree of North State says the development will be second only behind the adjacent Discovery Place Kids in terms of making a difference for downtown Huntersville. He says it will be an “impetus for new projects to come to downtown.”
He says he knows some people oppose the project, but he’s trying to clear up misunderstandings and that a lot of people support the development, despite the online petition.
“It caught fire with a few folks who are whisky-bent and hell-bound to spread the word,” he says. “We’re just trying to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may.”
There’s a public hearing next week, with a decision by Huntersville commissioners expected by the end of the year.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith