Mooresville OKs Lake Norman age 55-plus rental homes backed by neighbors — and an Olympian
Olympic speedskating gold medalist Dan Jansen’s support was by no means the deciding factor in the Mooresville Board of Commissioners’ unanimous approval of a rezoning Monday night for an age-restricted community of 108 Lake Norman rental homes.
His argument that Mooresville desperately needs such housing couldn’t have hurt, however.
Speakers representing dozens of neighbors cited potential traffic tie-ups onto Brawley School Road in opposing Mooresville-based Rocky River Development’s plans.
Several residents, including 1994 Olympic champion Jansen, supported the request for the 21-acre River Rock Easy Living at Blume Road development.
“This has the potential for a traffic choke point on Blume Road,” a speaker representing 36 of his neighbors said. “It’s difficult today to make a turn onto Brawley.”
Jansen, who has lived in the area with his wife and children for 22 years, saw the development from a different angle.
“This would have been a perfect option for my parents, if they were still living,” Jansen told the board.
Mooresville lacks such single-story rental homes aimed at the age 55-plus crowd, disabled persons and veterans, proponents said.
Homes would meet requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, a representative of the developer said. Each house, for instance, would have grab bars in the bathrooms.
And 15% of the homes would be reserved for veterans, he said.
A Mooresville resident who has multiple sclerosis said the homes are ideal for people with conditions like his that make it difficult to use stairs. The homes will have no stairs, according to the developer’s plan.
“Approve this for people like me,” the 49-year-old man said.
When commissioner Thurman Houston asked if the homes would reduce the value of nearby homes, the developer’s representative said the homes would cost $250,000 to $300,000 to build, so no.
Rents would range from $1,800 to $2,200 a month, he said.
The development also will include a walking trail, green space, a community center-clubhouse and pickleball court.
NSI Industries will celebrate its new headquarters
Huntersville-based NSI Industries, which makes electrical tools and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning products, will celebrate its new 152,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution center at 13235 Reese Blvd. at 11 a.m. Thursday.
“NSI has grown exponentially over the past several years, and we needed both office and distribution space to accommodate that growth,” G.R. Schrotenboer, CEO of the 45-year-old company said in a news release.
The company can warehouse all of its brands at the new location, he said.
NSI was founded in Huntersville in 1977 with 14 employees. The company now has 1,150 workers at 17 sites in 11 states and Canada.
Soon-to-open Publix now hiring
The soon-to-open Publix Supermarket in North Creek Village in Huntersville will host a second hiring event 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 9-11, at Drury Inn Northlake, 6920 Northlake Mall Drive in north Charlotte
No appointment is needed, but interested applicants are encouraged to fill out an application ahead of time at apply.publix.jobs.
A grand opening date will be announced soon, a Publix spokesperson said Friday.
Church donation will build an affordable cottage
Davidson College Presbyterian Church is donating $200,000 from its capital campaign to the nonprofit Hope House Foundation to build an affordable cottage in the Norman Park neighborhood in Huntersville, church officials announced Nov. 30.
Huntersville-based Hope House provides transitional housing for women and their children.
The planned Journey Cottage will provide “a new beginning for a family experiencing housing insecurity,” Hope House Executive Director Debbie O’Handley said in a news release.
The church plans to contribute $575,000 to affordable housing in the Lake Norman area over three years, church officials said, working with such additional partners as Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region and the Davidson Housing Coalition.
200 new homes planned for Denver
Pace Development Group submitted a request to rezone a 113-acre tract to permit the construction of 199 single-family homes. The property is located on the west side of North Little Egypt Road at its intersection with Optimist Club Road.
The proposed development would include a 20-foot buffer around the perimeter of the property, and 61 acres of open space, documents submitted to the county show.
If approved, construction on the development would begin in 2023.
A public hearing for the request will be held at the Lincoln County Administration Building, 353 N. Generals Blvd, on Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m.