Around Town

A touch of Downton Abbey in Plaza Midwood, plus a pool!

By Jen Rothacker

The Story

The owner of the lovely and historic VanLandingham Estate in Plaza Midwood wants to sell 1 1/2 acres of the 5-acre property to a town home developer and a neighborhood swim club. Nearby neighbors are not pleased.

The Facts

– If you’ve never been invited to a wedding or conference at the VanLandingham Estate, get yourself an invite. It’s a gem.

– Problem is, owner Billy Maddalan says he’s never turned a profit on the gorgeous but expensive property. (Cost of maintaining just the grounds: $170K a year)

– So, he thought one idea to pay off his debts and give him some cash flow would be to turn some of the property into town homes and the swim club.

– While the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association is cool with that, the neighbors who live closest are not. Complaints: Too much potential noise, traffic, smell of sun lotion. Plus, it could detract from the historic nature.

– The proposal must get approval from several city departments and City Council.

So, what’s that got to do with Downton?

Stay with us: One of the story lines this season has patriarch Robert resisting an offer from a real estate developer to build homes on a portion of the massive Downton property. But, the estate really needs the money as costs soar to care for it.

See, ripped from the Plaza Midwood headlines.

C5’s Take

We are quite enjoying this season of Downton Abbey. Interesting plot developments, interesting tension between the old and the young (although that teacher really is obnoxious).

Photos: Diedra Laird / Charlotte Observer & courtesy of PBS

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 1:03 AM with the headline "A touch of Downton Abbey in Plaza Midwood, plus a pool!."

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