Denver is growing at a rapid rate. Could incorporation slow down the booming NC community?
Like every other Lake Norman community, Denver has experienced unprecedented growth over the last few years.
Although no major housing developments have been approved for Denver since 2018, there are around 3,000 homes approved for Lincoln County that have yet to be built, with most of those homes located in the eastern part of the county, the Denver Citizen reported.
In addition to the approved subdivisions, three developers have submitted proposals to build a combined 268 homes and 688 apartments in Denver, according to the Lincoln County Planning and Inspections department website.
The growth continues as key infrastructure projects, including the widening of N.C. 73 and N.C. 16 Business — two of Denver’s most congested corridors — are on hold due to funding constraints resulting from the pandemic.
While Denver is similar to nearby neighbors such as Mooresville, Huntersville and Cornelius, it is not an incorporated community, meaning decisions on new developments are left up to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners. After the upcoming election, Republican Bud Cesena will likely be the only commissioner on the board who lives in Denver.
Incorporation would allow a town board or city council made up exclusively of Denver residents to create zoning ordinances that could slow growth in the eastern portion of the county – but most residents have been resistant to the idea.
Incorporation efforts in Denver
The community of Denver has been unincorporated for more than half a century.
Denver was officially incorporated in 1877, but due to the lack of a rail line, the town did not have the funds to maintain its infrastructure, and lost its incorporated status in 1971, according to longtime Denver resident David Rohr.
Since then, there have been at least two attempts to incorporate Denver, with the most recent effort in 2020, WFAE reported.
However, most Denver residents have long been opposed to incorporation, largely due to the additional taxes it would bring.
In 2018, a survey conducted by N.C. Rep. Jason Saine, who represents Lincoln County, found that 80% of Denver residents did not support incorporation, the Lincoln-Times News reported.
“Taxes would go up pretty dramatically,” Lincoln County Commissioner Cesena said. “It adds another layer of government that is not necessary at this point.”
The incorporation process
To incorporate, prospective towns must submit a petition signed by at least 15% of registered voters in the proposed town boundary to the N.C. General Assembly at least 60 days before their next regular session, according to the UNC School of Government.
The petition must include a plan to levy a tax rate of at least five cents per $100 of property value. However, that tax — which would be used to fund all of the facilities N.C. towns are required to provide — could be as high as 26 cents per $100 of valuation, Cesena said.
Within three years of approval, incorporated towns are required to provide at least four municipal services, such as police protection, fire protection, solid waste collection and water distribution, according to the UNC School of Government. All of those services in Denver are currently provided by Lincoln County.
“I’m not sure what the upside to incorporating Denver is,” Cesena said.
Alternatives to incorporation
Though many who are in favor of incorporation have cited unregulated growth in Denver as a motive, county commissioners recently approved a policy that will likely slow it down.
In August, the board voted unanimously to require a minimum lot size of one acre for new single-family homes — a move that will “lower the number of large scale housing districts” in Denver, Cesena said.
Residents who live near proposed new developments have been attending public hearings and community involvement meetings to make their voices heard, Cesena said. Four hundred people were expected at a community involvement meeting on Oct. 25 to prevent a rezoning request that would allow developer D.R. Horton to build 176 townhomes and 292 apartments near the intersection of North Ingleside Farm Road and N.C. 73.
“Well, what does that tell the commissioners?” Cesena said. “It says ‘don’t do it.’
“Community involvement is really the ticket to what makes this work and not work.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
