A 545-unit apartment project on Providence Road triggers concerns with residents
Another apartment project for the busy Providence Road corridor in south Charlotte is frustrating residents concerned about more traffic and higher density.
C Investments 2, LLC wants to build 545 apartments for its Flats at Providence project. The 14-acre site is east of Providence Road, north of Country Lane and south of Kuykendall Road.
The developer sent to the city of Charlotte’s planning department a request to change rezoning rules for the project. The Denver, North Carolina-based business wants to build a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments.
The Kuykendall Coalition, a group of local residents, is urging the Charlotte city council members to vote against the rezoning petition. Organizer Matt Orlousky said people are frustrated about the development since the area has historically been zoned for houses and not apartments.
“Is it OK to insert high density into areas that have always been low-density residential?,” he asked. “I think it’s a big decision that the city has to make.”
A community meeting is scheduled for May 21, which may be the first time local residents will have an opportunity to ask the petitioner questions about the plan.
The neighborhood group created an online petition which has more than 300 signatures as of Thursday. The main concerns include density, changing the city’s policy map from lower to higher residential development, increased traffic and the possibility of rezoning setting a precedent for developers to follow.
“We understand that growth is inevitable, but it must be responsible and respectful towards existing residents,” the coalition said in the petition.
C Investments 2, LLC did not respond to request for comment from The Charlotte Observer.
Tension continues around south Charlotte
Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, whose district covers the area, said it’s an “aggressive” project because of the number of proposed apartments.
“That’s a lot at that location,” he said. “And it’s on Providence Road which is already a pretty critical location in terms of the existing traffic.”
Developers are requesting a rezoning change to have higher density on the land, which would make way for development. The current classification doesn’t allow apartments.
About 120 units would be allocated for affordable housing, Driggs said. The combination of apartments at market price and lower-rent units is a novel concept for the location.
“It’s not really comparable to anything that we’ve done,” he said. “It’s going to take a little bit of creativity to figure out what the right answer is.”
Driggs also noted the Flats at Providence is one of three area projects city officials reviewed recently. In April, the council approved the Cato Trail development for more than 900 houses and apartment units, as well as a new school. Another developer wants to add more than 600 homes between Elm Lane and Rea Road.
The city council is committed to having more housing options to help slow down the rising cost when it comes to supply and demand, Driggs said. But it comes with a balancing act.
“All around Charlotte, there is kind of this tension between what is in place now and the things that are happening which is a result of growth,” Driggs said. “So, our challenge on the council is to reconcile the desire of residents, not to be in overly crowded environments and preserve the character of where they are now.”
City staff members and the developer will have to work out issues regarding incentives for affordable housing before the project is presented to the council, Driggs said.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that DreamKey Partners, an affordable housing group, would be involved in the project. DreamKey said it is no longer involved with the rezoning effort due to feasibility concerns and a full slate of other projects.
