National builder tries again with Lake Norman rental homes development
A national builder will try again next week to get its plan for Lake Norman-area rental homes approved by the Mooresville Board of Commissioners.
Citing traffic-clogged roads, commissioners in November unanimously rejected American Homes 4 Rent’s plan for up to 111 rental homes in its proposed 86-acre Brentwood Phase 5 development 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 rezoning. Newly-elected commissioner Dana Tucker seconded the motion.
“Namely, to put 111 homes in there, and it won’t impact traffic?” Karriker said.
The developer has since trimmed the number of homes to 99 and agreed that no building permits will be issued until a signal is installed at Faith and Shearer roads, according to town planning documents.
Commissioners will consider the new rezoning request at 6 p.m. Monday at Town Hall.
Neighbors fed up with traffic
At a public hearing before the November 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
American Homes 4 Rent intends to donate $125,000 toward the signal, among other traffic improvements, James Martin, AMH regional vice president, told the commissioners in November.
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.
AMH 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 also include pools, fitness centers and playgrounds, the website shows.
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 2025. 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.