Suburban Charlotte town rejects controversial mixed-use project after raucous meeting
A proposal to bring close to 200 homes, a park and “Main Street” to Weddington was rejected Monday night after the mayor cast a tie-breaking vote.
The vote was the conclusion of an at-time raucous meeting that followed months of heated public discussion around the mixed-use project. The project raised questions about what impacts the development might have on the nature of the town, a debate playing out for other communities across the Charlotte region too.
Weddington Green was proposed on 80 acres in the heart of town.
Developer Tom Waters of Provident Land Services sought to bring restaurants, a brewery and some office space along with a 9.5-acre park with a bike and pedestrian path. The initial plan included a total of 306 single family and town homes.
That number was, over time, reduced to 158 single-family homes. Waters also reduced the total amount of retail, from about 138,000 square feet to around 118,000.
Waters said he designed the project with residents in mind, using surveys that said some wanted more up-scale restaurants and parks in town. The homes on site, Waters said, would cater toward empty-nesters looking to downsize but still stay in Weddington.
But the project came under fire by some residents. They feared the project would threaten the very way of life in the Union County town of about 13,000.
Residents also said that growth has already been a problem with current zoning laws, and this development would add to already crowded schools and roads.
If approved, more development like it would follow, said Mark Miller, one resident who helped organize others in opposition to the project.
“We knew this would be the beginning,” Miller told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
The vote does not prevent Provident Land Services from coming back to seek a similar rezoning.
‘Make a decision!’
Like previous meetings, a large number of residents turned out for the Weddington Green discussion on Monday night. Many spoke in opposition to the project.
After the public comment period, the council made a motion to refer the project back to the planning board. When Mayor Craig Horn cast a tie-breaking vote on that motion, the crowd started yelling and booing.
“Make a decision!” one person shouted.
After some back-and-forth, Horn called for a five-minute break. When the council came back into session, Horn urged the crowd to allow the council members to speak.
“Give these people some time to think,” the mayor said, raising his voice into the microphone as people in the crowd grew louder. “I know you all want a decision. We know you all want a decision. We want a decision, too. We want to think through it so that we make the right decision.”
Councilman Jeff Perryman then brought forward a motion to reconsider sending it back to the planning board. The council eventually brought forward a motion to deny the application.
Perryman said he was against the project because of the park and its location on the site. He wanted it to be in a more prominent spot for the public.
Perryman’s motion ended in a 2-2 tie, leading to the mayor’s tiebreaker vote to reject the project.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Developer surprised by rejection
Waters is still assessing next steps and letting the vote settle in, telling the Observer in an interview Tuesday that it’s too early to talk about next steps.
He said he was surprised the town council ended up voting to deny his petition. It appeared at one point the five-person council was going to vote to send it back to the planning board for further review.
“It’s very disappointing in terms of not being able to pursue the vision that we were working on for Weddington,” Waters said.
A Weddington vision
Residents already have plenty nearby they can drive to and there are a number of nearby parks, Miller has told the Observer. Plus, some residents don’t want to see more commercial development going in.
Waters said he was envisioning something with his project that would be a neat offering for residents, including not only homes but some retail and office space as well.
Looking back, Waters said he could have spent a little more time with the community before filing the rezoning application, listening to residents’ insights and concerns.
“As a community developer my biggest disappointment is I can’t see the vision for Weddington be built out this way,” Waters said.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 3:55 PM.
