Huntersville OKs Birkdale Village expansion near Lake Norman. ‘It’s our crown jewel’
The Huntersville Board of Commissioners approved a request by the owner of Birkdale Village to expand the longtime mixed-use community near Lake Norman.
The board voted 5-1 Tuesday night for the plans by Jamestown, the new owner, to add a 125-room, full-service hotel, 150 multi-family units, 26,715 square feet of commercial space and an office building.
The request is consistent with Huntersville’s 2040 long-range community plan and zoning for areas of town geared to such uses, commissioner Nick Walsh said in making the motion in favor of the rezoning.
“Birkdale Village is the crown jewel of Huntersville,” Walsh said. “It attracts millions of visitors. To reject this simply would be shortsighted. Our responsibility of the board is to do what’s best for the 70,000 residents of Huntersville.”
Commissioners cite economic benefits
Commissioner Jennifer Hunt said she understands “the frustrations of congestion and change, but saying no doesn’t make anything better.”
“Huntersville is the second largest town in Mecklenburg County, 17 to 25 minutes from a major airport,” commissioner Edwin Quarles said.
“So no, Huntersville is not the small town it used to be,” he said, describing Birkdale Village as “a jewel, a magnet that welcomed millions of visitors last year.”
Quarles cited the $200,000 in additional property tax revenues expected with the expansion, and other financial benefits.
“We must look forward to what’s ahead and embrace our town’s growth,” commissioner LaToya Rivers said.
“I’m here for the same reason you are: I care about this town,” commissioner Alisia Bergsman told opponents in the audience. “And sometimes that involves making decisions that are unpopular.”
Commissioner Amanda Dumas cast the lone no vote, saying, in part, that the developer’s plans would wipe out parking for several businesses on an outparcel of the development.
Before the board’s vote, at least 13 residents urged commissioners to reject the plan, while nine residents favored the rezoning. ”
“Why are we going to Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville and back to Charlotte for the things we need?” longtime Huntersville resident and businessman John Foster said, urging commissioners to back the plan.
Opponents cited parking, traffic and other concerns associated with growth.
“We’ve taken our kids to see Santa and the Easter Bunny” at Birkdale Village, 23-year Huntersville resident Bob Bauer said. “And now they want to put a 100-foot building in there. We don’t have the infrastructure for this.”
Full-service hotel, 2 parking decks
Birkdale Village is the town’s largest taxpayer, representatives of Atlanta-based Jamestown said. The development is off Interstate 77 Sam Furr Road exit 25.
Jamestown will remove two buildings and construct three new ones: a six-story office building, a six-story multifamily building and a five-story hotel.
Two parking decks will be replaced with a seven-story, 537-space parking deck and a four-story, 291-space parking deck. Susan Irvin, a Cornelius lawyer representing the developer, told the Huntersville Planning Board on Feb. 25 that Jamestown is willing to add a fifth level to the four-story deck.
While town planning staff supported the rezoning, the Planning Board voted 4-3 to recommend commissioners reject the proposal.
Planning Board members who voted to recommend denial said the proposal was out of character with that area of Lake Norman, particularly the office building.
Those who voted for the plan cited the economic benefits and said the expansion would enhance the area.
Jamestown bought the development last year from the Atlanta subsidiary of North American Properties.
The new buildings will produce $200 million in direct construction spending and $212 million in annual employment benefits to the town, Jamestown representatives told the Town Board on Feb. 5.
The hotel will be similar to those in the Autograph Collection, a group of independent, upper-scale luxury hotels in the Marriott International portfolio, Jamestown representatives said.
This was the second effort to expand Birkdale Village and add more parking, a proposal that generated similar concerns.
In 2023, the Huntersville Board of Commissioners denied former Birkdale Village owner North American Properties’ zoning request to add 450 parking spaces and a multi-story mixed-use building.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.