Development

Lake Norman-area homes with public park, fishing pond approved by town planners

The Huntersville Planning Board endorsed a national homebuilder’s plan Tuesday night for a 259-home community east of Interstate 77 that would include land donated for a town park and 10-acre public fishing pond.

The board voted 4-2 in favor of a rezoning for the project proposed by NVR Inc., the parent company of Ryan Homes. Three members abstained.

Everette Keith Residential would include 76 townhomes, 75 cottage homes and 99 other homes in Huntersville.
Everette Keith Residential would include 76 townhomes, 75 cottage homes and 99 other homes in Huntersville. SCREENSHOT FROM HUNTERSVILLE PLANNING BOARD MEETING

The town Board of Commissioners, which has final say, is scheduled to vote on the request June 17.

Pickleball courts, dog park and splash pad

Nine open spaces totaling 23 acres also would include pickleball courts, a recreational field, butterfly gardens, fire pit, dog park, a half-basketball court, a shade structure, splash pad and a playground with swings, Sean Paone, principal of project consultant Bolton & Menk, told the Planning Board.

Natural wildlife corridors would cut through the 106 acres east of the intersection of Hambright Road and Everette Keith Road.

NVR proposes a mix of housing types: 76 townhomes north of Hambright Road; 75 cottage homes south of Hambright; 99 homes near the southern and eastern parts of the property; and nine larger home lots beside Dogwood Lane, according to NVR’s rezoning application .

The development would include eight affordable housing units, or those affordable to teachers, police and firefighters.

NVR also would extend Hambright Road, its application shows.

“We like to create great communities,” Scott Munday, Charlotte-based general manager of land for NVR/Ryan Homes told the Planning Board. “We believe this community fits that bill exactly.

“It’s highly amenitized, it’s highly planned, and we think it would be very attractive to owners,” Munday said. “And we believe it has a lot of benefits to the town as well.”

NVR/Ryan Homes has developed 15 to 20 communities in the Charlotte metro area over the past five years totaling 5,000 lots, and “each are to this level of detail and plan,” Munday said, referring to Everette Keith Residential.

Board members who voted to recommend the rezoning said they liked the amenities and said the development appears to be a good fit with its surroundings.

Board members against the rezoning sided with town planning staff concerned that the number of homes conflicts with zoning plans for the area.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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