Valley Development seeking rezoning for less-dense development

Listen to this article

CHARLOTTE – A Virginia-based developer has filed a rezoning petition with the city of Charlotte, which aims to change a previously-approved town home project into a single-family development with fewer units.

Solomon Fortune, a planner with the city, said that Vienna, Va.-based Valley Development’s original plans, which called for 37 town homes on about 4 acres on Wendwood Lane in Charlotte, were approved in 2010. Now the developer has decided to change that project to 19 single-family, stand-alone homes. Before plans were changed, three town homes were built, meaning there would be 22 units in total, if the rezoning is approved by the Charlotte City Council.

Fortune said it is far less common to see a rezoning request seeking to decrease density rather than boost it, but he said it’s not unheard of.

“Typically it’s uncommon to reduce density (in a rezoning), but on this site, the infrastructure was already there, so it worked for them,” Fortune said, adding that he doesn’t see any problems with the request.

“I don’t foresee any issues getting this approved because this is the third petition on this site and it fits the site plan,” he said. “The only reason they had to file a petition was because they are going to break the (town home) buildings into single units.”

The public hearing date for the rezoning request is Feb. 18 and Solomon said he would expect the City Council vote to be sometime in March.

Calls to Valley weren’t immediately returned.