Rezonings sought for transit-oriented multifamily, mixed-use projects

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Developers are taking advantage of the light rail, with rezonings sought to develop huge multifamily projects near completed and planned LYNX stations in bustling South End and northeast of uptown.

Mixed-use projects also are in the works, with petitions filed for large retail and office developments near South Boulevard in the Wilmore area and close to First Ward.

Further south, Grubb Properties wants to add commercial and residential uses to 11 acres near the Park Road Shopping Center in south Charlotte.

The Charlotte City Council will hold public hearings on the requested rezonings in December.

Another 800 or more apartments are being proposed in the requests, adding to the 13,000 units proposed and 12,000 under construction in September, according to Real Data, a multifamily real estate research firm.

Bainbridge Communities Acquisition I has applied to rezone 1.6 acres at South Boulevard and Poindexter Drive to construct up to 200 apartments on what is now a commercial parking lot. The property, partially owned by Pepsi Bottling Ventures, is a stone’s throw from Marsh Properties’ $190 million redevelopment of the Sedgefield Shopping Center and nearby neighborhood. That project got the green light from the City Council in November, and demolition of the shopping center began late this summer. Phase one of the retail construction, including a full-service Harris Teeter supermarket, is slated to go online early in 2017, said development partner Aston Properties.

Bainbridge’s proposed apartment complex, dubbed Pepsi SouthEnd, is slightly north of the New Bern Lynx station. The proposed apartment complex would not exceed seven stories, site plans say. The company is seeking a rezoning to residential transit-oriented development with optional provisions from general industrial and mixed-use transit-oriented development.

And Parkwood Residences wants to build up to 351 apartments on nearly 3.5 acres near the Lynx Blue Line Extension, which will run from Ninth Street in uptown through the North Davidson and University areas to UNC Charlotte. The line is slated to begin operating in 2017.

Plans for the property, bordered by North Brevard and North Caldwell streets and Parkwood Avenue, feature a parking garage, courtyards and a maximum building height of 120 feet.

Parkwood is seeking a rezoning to conditional residential transit-oriented development from light and general industrial district.

Further north, BRC Salome Church is petitioning to develop up to 228 apartments on 21 vacant acres on Salome Church Road east of Interstate 485 and north of U.S. Highway 29. Site plans call for surface parking and up to 12 residential buildings not exceeding three stories, or 48 feet in height.

The property is zoned single-family residential and multifamily residential, up to 22 dwelling units per acre. The developer wants to change that to conditional multifamily residential, up to 12 dwelling units per acre.

And in Ballantyne, David Weekley Homes has plans for 68 townhomes and 27 single-family residences in a 15-acre gated community west of North Community House Road and north of Paradise Ridge Road. There are currently church offices on the site, which is zoned single-family residential, up to three dwelling units per acre.

The company wants to change that to mixed-use district, which permits mixed dwellings and accessory structures on tracts of 10 acres or more. Plans call for tree-save areas, sidewalks, planting strips and open space.

On a much smaller scale, Simonini Saratoga hopes to build four townhomes on less than half an acre in Myers Park. A portion of the otherwise vacant tract on Huntley Place is occupied by an office building. The two-story attached townhomes would be no higher than 40 feet, and each unit would have a minimum of 400 square feet of private open space and a two-car garage. The setback from Huntley Place would be at least 32 feet.

In other proposals for mixed-use projects, Cousins Acquisition Entity wants to redevelop a little more than 2 acres surrounded by Camden Road, West Park Avenue and South Tryon Street. The company proposes a seven-story office building over ground-floor retail. The development would include five floors of above-ground parking and two floors of below-ground parking. The façade, according to site plans, includes glass, decorative metal panels, light and dark wood siding, and aluminum mullions. The site would feature outdoor seating and a terrace.

The property, across from the Bland Street light-rail station, currently has a mix of retail, office and parking on it. Cousins Acquisition wants to rezone the property to mixed-use transit-oriented development with optional provisions from mixed-use transit-oriented development, neighborhood business and mixed-use development with optional provisions.

Meanwhile, Doug Bradley is seeking to repurpose and renovate an industrial building on Louise Avenue and Otts Street east of uptown’s First Ward. A 1 ½-story brick building sits on the 2.8 acres, home of the former Murray Bakery Products. Bradley proposes a mixture of retail, office, restaurants and entertainment for the 130,000-square-foot building.

The area is currently zoned for general industrial use, which Bradley wants to change to mixed-use development with optional provisions.

Further south on Park Road, Grubb Properties has petitioned to add some combination of retail, office and multifamily to 10.7 acres south of Woodlawn Road on Park Road between Abbey Place and Mockingbird Lane. Grubb Properties would seek to retain the existing office buildings but replace the large surface parking lots with “modern buildings supported by parking structures that can be shared by various uses.”

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

Grubb Properties is seeking a rezoning to mixed-use development with optional provisions from office district.

Other rezoning requests include:

*White Point Paces Properties’ request to rezone a little more than 2 acres in the Belmont neighborhood east of uptown for transit-oriented development. The property, currently zoned for industrial use, is bordered by North Brevard and North Davidson streets and Belmont Avenue. No site plans were filed with the city, and company officials were unavailable for comment.

*CitiSculpt’s petition to rezone nearly 3 acres on Sharon Road to accommodate an age-restricted dependent or independent senior living facility, or both. The tract, owned by Holy Covenant United Church of Christ, has been used for institutional purposes. It is less than 2 miles southwest of SouthPark Mall and zoned single-family residential. CitiSculpt is seeking a rezoning to conditional urban residential.

*JAAM Holding Limited Partnership’s application to rezone 21 acres in northwest Charlotte to general industrial from light industrial. The mostly undeveloped parcel contains a truck-repair shop and is bordered by Toddville and Melynda roads and Grove Street. No site plans were filed with the city, and company officials could not be reached for comment.

*Synco Properties refiled its petition to rezone 27 acres for a mixed-use project that includes 1,100  for-sale or rental residences, 250,000 square feet of office space, 225 hotel rooms and 300,000 square feet of retail on 27 acres along Colony Road in SouthPark. The property currently is home to the company’s 353-unit Colony Apartments.

Synco originally filed a rezoning request with the city in December, but the proposal sparked the filing of a protest petition led by neighboring commercial real estate owners who voiced density and traffic-flow concerns.

The company withdrew that petition and filed anew after state legislation this summer eliminated the requirement that three-fourths of a municipal body approve a rezoning that has been sufficiently protested. The change affects petitions filed on or after Aug. 1. That means that Synco’s new rezoning petition requires a simple majority of six favorable City Council votes to gain approval, opposed to the nine supermajority votes required for protested rezoning petitions filed before Aug. 1.

Synco is seeking a rezoning to mixed-use development with optional provisions from multifamily residential.