City Council approves apartments, retail project

CHARLOTTE – The City Council unanimously approved the construction of two apartment complexes Tuesday night, and gave a nod to a retail project planned for Randolph Road.

Charlotte-based Terwilliger Pappas Multifamily Partners is behind the proposed 194-unit Solis Ballantyne apartment development in south Charlotte. The complex would be up to three-stories tall and include an amenity area.

Terwilliger Pappas plans up to 15,000 square feet of retail space on the 10 vacant acres at North Community House and Bryant Farms roads, near Ballantyne Community Park and the Morrison YMCA.

The company’s proposal is revised from original plans filed with the city in June, which called for two four-story buildings with up to 240 units on 7.9 acres.  Those plans did not include nonresidential uses.

The council approved the developer’s request for a change in zoning to neighborhood services from neighborhood business, conditional.

Terwilliger Pappas is also the developer of the multifamily components of the $200 million, 84-acre Waverly mixed-use development on Providence Road near I-485. Project developers have started clearing the 84-acre property and begun work on a medical building. Residential and retail construction is slated to begin in the spring.

Councilmembers also approved Spectrum Properties Residential Inc.’s request to allow it to demolish and rebuild the Abbey Place Apartments on 9.1 acres in south Charlotte. Spectrum wants to redevelop the 48-year-old property into an apartment complex with 265 units. The site, which currently has 128 apartments, is on the north and south sides of Abbey Place, west of Park Road.

The new buildings will not exceed four stories, or 65 feet. Plans call for on-street parking, planting strips and sidewalks, a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a fitness center and open green space.

Spectrum was approved for a rezoning to conditional urban residential from multifamily residential allowing up to 17 dwelling units per acre.

In December, the council heard public comments on the rezoning.  Representatives from Spectrum said the age of the units made refurbishment impossible. They said they would give one month of free rent to current residents to assist in their moving before the current property is demolished. One resident protested against the project, saying the rent he currently pays is affordable and that the buildings are solid, adding that displaced families would have to register their children in other schools.

Abbey Place is just south of Montford Drive, which has become a popular nightlife destination with several bars and restaurants. The property is a half-mile from Park Road Shopping Center and even closer to other retail, making the site attractive for apartment renters looking for walking-distance amenities.

Cotswold Partners, meanwhile, got the go-ahead to build a retail project on the east side of Randolph Road where a 49-year-old office building now stands. The 2.2-acre site is at 4425 Randolph Road, between Greenwich and North Sharon Amity roads.

According to Cotswold Partners’ site plans, the property would include up to 65,000 square feet of retail and personal service space on top of two layered parking decks. Current site plans call for a Publix supermarket on the site.

Cotswold Partners’ had requested a rezoning to mixed-use development district with optional provisions from neighborhood business district.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, a public hearing was held on Unique Southern Estates request to rezone the 4.54 acres on which the historic VanLandingham Estate sits to allow up to 19 town homes and a private, members-only swimming pool and club. The 101-year-old Harwood House, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, would continue to be used as a hotel and special events center.

In addition to the VanLandingham Estate Inn & Conference Center at The Plaza and Belvedere Avenue, Unique Southern Estates owns The Morehead Inn in Dilworth. Proponents of the proposal said the estate was too expensive to run because of its historical status and lack of business and was currently subsidized by the Morehead Inn. Local residents against the proposal cited potential problems with parking and noise, as well as safety issues caused by increased traffic.

The current zoning for the property is single-family residential and general business conditional use with a historic district overlay. The requested zoning is optional mixed-use development district with a historic district overlay.

In other developments, the City Council voted unanimously to defer public hearings and rezoning decisions on the following:

• A public hearing on a rezoning for an amateur sports complex proposed for 20.3 acres near Bojangles’ Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium. The city asked for the three-month deferral to April as it negotiates with GoodSports Enterprises of Sarasota, Fla., on the public-private venture valued at $76.7 million. GoodSports had originally planned to break ground here last fall, but said for months it was having trouble securing backing. This month, the company said it had found financing, but declined to identify the source. The city staff plans to make recommendations on deal terms to the council in early March.
• A hearing on Midtown Area Partners II LLC’s request to rezone 1.99 acres on the northeast corner of Baxter Street and South Kings Drive and the south side of Luther Street. Midtown wants to construct a 270,000-square-foot building for office, retail, residential or hotel use; up to 4,600 square feet of commercial space at street level; up to eight town houses; and a parking structure. The hearing was delayed until April.
• A decision on Wilkison Partners’ request to rezone 6 acres on the southeast corner of Youngblood Road and Shelburne Farms Drive for the construction of 30 single-family attached dwellings in The Palisades. The council will decide on the issue in March.
• A decision on Pavilion Development Corp.’s request to rezone 1.8 acres at Nations Ford and Tyvola roads to install a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station. The rezoning would involve a site plan amendment to the commercial center zoning. The council will review the request for rezoning in February.