Concord residents fight ‘ludicrous’ plan for 1,900 homes, as growth tensions flare
Barbara Strang has lived in Concord for over 30 years and she’s had a front-row seat to the city’s rapid growth. But now, she, along with over 1,500 residents, are voicing their discontent in-person and online over a new project looking to turn 557 acres of former farmland into close to 1,900 new homes, as well as a big hotel and other uses.
Homebuilder D.R. Horton is in the early stages of developing essentially a new neighborhood along George W. Liles Parkway and Weddington Road dubbed Concord Farms.
The preliminary plan includes 730 single-family homes, 326 townhomes and 840 multifamily units, along with a 200-room hotel, and 306,000 square feet of commercial, office and retail space.
The project took its first step into the limelight when it asked Concord City Council in June for permission to tap into the sewer line. That request for sewer allocation was denied. And in response, D.R. Horton requested a meeting with council to discuss the scope of the project.
A change.org petition against those plans already grabbed over 1,500 signatures in just over a week.
The July 31 meeting was an information session, open to the public with no voting involved. But some residents said they left with more questions and an intensifying concern that growth in Concord was becoming uncontrollable.
“A project of this scale is just unimaginable to everybody here,” Strang said. “That size is literally another city within our city… I’m not opposed to a few stores, a coffee shop. But what they’re talking about is ludicrous. It’s out of control, and that’s a consistent pattern in this county.”
Concord and growth
Right behind Charlotte, Concord has had one of the biggest spikes in population since 2020. Concord’s seen an almost 7% increase in population between 2020 and last year, according to census data. More than 112,300 people call the area home.
The population spike stems in part due to Charlotte’s own growth and the economic development moving into Concord.
What’s more, the city is in the middle of revitalizing its downtown corridor.
About three miles from the proposed Concord Farms development is pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s new manufacturing facility, which was a $2 billion investment in the city. And there’s more to come.
About six miles away toward Concord Mills, Hendrick Motorsports is planning to build a 204,000-square-foot, two-story manufacturing building, investing $65 million to $70 million in the project.
Cadillac F1, a new Formula 1 team, also plans to set up shop in the city, investing between $75 million to $85 million on a new engine building facility and creating up to 350 jobs.
Then there’s the growth occurring just on Weddington Road. Connie Arstark lived on the main throughway for about 27 years but recently moved elsewhere in Cabarrus County due to Concord’s exponential growth.
Weddington Road is the city’s “significant east-to-west connectors” according to the corridor area plan produced by the city in 2021.
There’s long-time existing developments along the corridor including Sheffield Manor and the Woodlands. But since 2021 places like Piper Landing and Olde Homestead have brought more than 340 new homes to the area.
“I’m for growth but it has to be controlled growth,” Arstark said. “You need a plan. A plan for the traffic, for the schools.”
Arstark said Concord Farms presented no plans at the July council meeting and that’s her biggest problem with the project.
Concord Farms development
Some of the major concerns residents have is with increased traffic and the impact on the nearby schools. Weddington Hills Elementary, which is minutes from the site, is at 110% capacity, according to city Councilwoman Lori Clay.
Residents also said the special July 31 meeting was the first time they’ve heard of the massive development.
But that’s because there isn’t a concrete plan, according to Stephen Rosenburgh, president of US Developments, a Charlotte-based real estate investment firm working with D.R. Horton.
“There’s an emphasis on why haven’t we been to the public. We don’t have anything to take to them because we don’t know what we can do,” Rosenberg said during the meeting.
A plan can’t be fully developed, according to Rosenburgh, without some sewer allocation. And as of now, the project has none.
In June, developers asked for over 560,000 gallons per day, according to the Concord Independent Tribune, but was unanimously denied.
The developer did resubmit a sewer request for a significantly decreased amount of 157,000 gallons per day. That would be for the first phase of the project, which includes multifamily units and single-family homes, according to The Cabarrus Compass.
That request will be reviewed in September.
Besides sewer, the project would have to be rezoned and go through a series of committees that look at the impacts on traffic, schools and utility resources.
The project will face many community meetings and decisions from council, said Mayor Bill Dusch.
During the July meeting, some preliminary solutions were brought up concerning traffic and sewer capacity.
Developers said there’s potential to build a private sewer plant. And depending on a traffic analysis from the state’s department of transportation, roadway improvement would be considered. But when it came to the school system, Rosenburgh said there probably would be little funding provided by the developer.
What’s next for the Concord site?
The project needs sewer, and next steps rely on whether the city allocates sewer to the project.
Arstark and Strang would like to see the project go back to the drawing board. “Just stop it now. Come up with a more feasible plan,” said Strang. “Make it reasonable. Don’t just come here, slap a mess down and leave.”
And they aren’t the only ones, judging by the online petition.
“Many of us moved here because it’s not a big city,” one commenter wrote on the petition page. “But if we keep approving large-scale projects like this, we’re quickly going to lose the character, green space, and sense of community that made this place special in the first place.”
During the special meeting Rosenburgh said the project would proceed with residents and council in mind. “We don’t want to be where we’re not wanted,” Rosenburgh said.
D.R. Horton didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Charlotte Observer.
But ultimately, Dusch said, the land is privately owned and it can be sold to whomever and they can ask to develop what they see fit.
“If the owner and developer want to pursue this project, it’s their right, and we have the right once all the work is done to approve or deny based on the facts,” Dusch said.
Arstark and Strang are hoping city council asks the tough questions and makes the tough decisions down the line.
“Every land owner has the right to sell their land and make money. I’m not opposed to that,” Arstark said. “But when it comes to me being a taxpayer and my taxes have quadrupled and you’ve already approved 1,100 apartments in the area and now you’re wanting to build another city within a city? That to me is poor leadership.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
