National builder’s Lake Norman rental home community rejected by town board
Citing traffic-clogged roads, Mooresville commissioners unanimously rejected a national builder’s plan Monday night for up to 111 rental homes near Lake Norman.
American Homes 4 Rent, or AMH, proposed its Brentwood Phase 5 development for 86 acres on Black Angus Lane. That’s off Faith Road, just east of Mount Mourne near the lake.
Commissioners said they found incredulous the developer’s claim that the project wouldn’t burden already-jammed Faith Road.
“I go back to traffic in that area,” commissioner Eddie Karriker said before making the motion to deny the AMH rezoning. Newly-elected commissioner Dana Tucker seconded the motion.
“Namely, to put 111 homes in there, and it won’t impact traffic?” Karriker said.
At a public hearing before the vote, neighbors cited already long traffic backups on Faith Road.
“It’s out of control,” 18-year resident Darlene Hoffman told the board. “It takes me two hours to get to work on Westinghouse Boulevard (in Charlotte), where it used to take 35 minutes when I moved here.”
“Our schools and (school) buses are over capacity,” resident Kristen Hooven said.
She questioned how local roads could handle another “200 plus” cars from Brentwood 5.
Developer cites improvements
James Martin, AMH regional vice president, said the company intended to donate $125,000 toward a traffic signal at nearby Faith and Shearer roads, among other traffic improvements.
He cited the quality of AMH homes and amenities planned for the development, including a greenway with a pedestrian bridge over a creek; a pocket park; a dog park; trails; and vegetative buffers well beyond town requirements.
The previous Mooresville Board of Commissioners raised similar concerns about the development at an Oct. 15 board meeting, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The homes, part of a larger, existing development, would spill only more traffic onto already clogged Faith Road, commissioners said. And the developer planned only one entrance-exit for the latest phase, commissioners said. Having a second way in and out would manage traffic better, they said.
“My challenge is this all dumps into one access point,” former commissioner Lisa Qualls said at the Oct. 15 meeting.
Qualls lost to challenger Dana Tucker in her reelection bid Nov. 4, with Tucker capturing 535 votes, or 47.43% of ballots cast, to 365 votes for Qualls, or 32.36%, according to official election results.
“More density without a significant something, I’m out,” commissioner Eddie Dingler said at the Oct. 15 meeting, referring to ways to address the impact on nearby roads from cars in the latest Brentwood phase.
Residents concerned about planned homes
In August, the Mooresville Planning Board rejected recommending the rezoning to the commissioners, who have final say.
At the Planning Board meeting, Hooven said rental homes have “huge turnover” with renters “who won’t respect our speed limit or stop sign.” An American Homes 4 Rent official said its communities offer amenities that keep people living there longer.
Homes feature fenced yards, granite or quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, luxury vinyl plank flooring and attached two- and three-car garages, according to the AMH website.
Amenities include pools, fitness centers, playgrounds, nature trails and dog parks, the website shows.
The Planning Board voted unanimously against the project.
Corporate landlord concerns
Corporate landlords, including American Homes 4 Rent, own about a quarter of all rental homes in Mecklenburg County and tens of thousands of single-family houses across the state, The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer found in a 2022 investigation, Security for Sale.
About 20 corporate landlords own over 25,000 single-family homes in the Charlotte area, according to Action NC, the Observer reported in January. The Federal Trade Commission sought public comment at the time, saying the increase in corporate landlords hurts homeownership rates and impacts costs for renters and prospective home buyers.