Board to reconsider its rejection of national builder’s Lake Norman rental homes
The Mooresville Board of Commissioners agreed Monday night to reconsider its rejection of a national builder’s plans for Lake Norman-area rental homes.
Citing traffic-clogged roads, commissioners in November unanimously rejected a plan by American Homes 4 Rent 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 American Homes 4 Rent installs a traffic light — at its expense — at already overburdened Faith and Shearer roads. .
The builder also ditched its original plan to send traffic into a neighboring development and will donate two wells to the neighboring English Hills subdivision, representatives of the builder told the board Monday night.
“I think we can agree this is a better project,” commissioner Eddie Dingler, who represents the area where the homes would be built, told fellow commissioners. “It does work. This is a better project.”
Commissioners approved the new plan by a 5-to-1 vote.
An American Homes representative asked the commissioners to schedule a public hearing on its revised plan and vote on the proposal at its next meeting, although commissioners didn’t name a date.
Developer cites improvements
James Martin, AMH regional vice president, previously 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.