Big plans: 1,000 homes, retail in Matthews. But residents want more answers first
A Charlotte developer wants to bring a major mixed-use complex to Matthews with apartments, townhomes, a hotel and commercial space next to a proposed light rail station.
Plans for the Midfield Station development from Proffitt Dixon Partners include 814 multi-family units, 200 single-family attached homes and more than 221,000 square-feet of non-residential retail space on 72 acres.
The vacant site is north of the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at the corner of Sports Parkway and Brigman Road. The homes would be near the Crestdale neighborhood.
At Matthews town meetings, residents brought up concerns about needing privacy buffers between Crestdale and the planned project, as well as how it would impact traffic and nearby roads with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Interstate 485 Express Lanes project. Road crews are adding one express lane in each direction along I-485 between Interstate 77 and U.S. 74 in southern Mecklenburg.
The Charlotte Observer left multiple messages for Proffitt Dixon officials, who did not respond to requests for comment to discuss the plans, concerns over it or total costs.
On Oct. 9, Matthews commissioners held a public hearing on the developer’s request to change the property’s zoning from residential to entertainment district. They did not vote on the project at that time.
An entertainment district was approved with the sportsplex design in 2014, with a goal of having recreation and shopping development around a stop for the Charlotte Area Transit System Silver Line. CATS is planning a 29-mile light rail extension with 30 stations, stretching from Belmont to Indian Trail.
There’s also a Silver Line station planned for downtown Matthews, but the Midfield Station project presents a different challenge. Town planner Darin Hallman said Matthews still needs to determine the best way for how the Proffitt Dixon development would be built near a future transit station.
More details about the Matthews project
The recent public hearing was a continuation from a September session. Since then, the project was updated with stormwater infrastructure changes, which are being reviewed by county officials. A traffic study is also underway.
The maximum height of the townhomes would be three stories, if approved.
Along with the homes, Proffitt Dixon Partners is proposing mixed-use buildings with shops or retail on the ground floor and apartments on top. The developers also have options to change 100 homes to apartments.
With the sportsplex nearby, a hotel with a maximum of 120 rooms is also part of the plans. It will not be an extended-stay lodging, representative of the developer said.
Waiting to launch the Matthews project
There was a consensus among town officials and community members about the Midfield Station project taking too much time to get approved.
The town’s planning office received the application in March 2022, and 10 meetings followed, according to the county’s records.
Wyatt Dixon, a founder of Proffitt Dixon Partners, said at the October meeting that their work goes back to 2013 when they first approached the land owner about purchasing the property. “We’re painfully aware of how long this takes,” Dixon said during the meeting.
Dixon said it’s important for the company to have a partnership with Matthews, while developing a vision the town officials had for the entertainment district and sports complex with Mecklenburg County.
At the meeting, town commissioner John Urban said he was glad the Proffitt Dixon project has taken this long because it would represent a massive investment for the town, so a decision on it should not be rushed.
“I’ve been around since 2013, and I’ve seen all the iterations and each one gets better. You work though it, times change and things happen,” Urban said.
What’s next for the Matthews project?
Mayor John Higdon said the sportsplex brings over a million visitors a year to town, and he occasionally gets asked where teams can gather for dinners or award banquets.
“I get asked that at least a couple of times a month,” Higdon said. “Is there any place in town where we can go celebrate our win or mourn our loss? But there really isn’t.”
Dixon said there will also be an affordability component for the homes, which will be determined based on future market prices. Town official wanted more information about this, as well as other plans for the townhomes and requested more green space around the living units.
The rezoning application will be reviewed by the town’s planning board on Oct. 24 before it’s sent back to commissioners for further discussion or a final vote.
After rezoning approval, Hallman said Proffitt Dixon Partners need approval from Matthews officials for different building projects on the site.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
