‘Belmont now is full’: Proposed 600 home development ‘got anger up’ in neighbors
BELMONT, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — On Thursday, neighbors pushing back against a proposed housing development with more than 600 new homes will have a chance to be heard by leaders in the City of Belmont.
The neighbors say the roads, the schools, and the water and sewer infrastructure cannot handle the new homes proposed by the developer.
The developer is asking the city to approve the proposed Henry Chapel subdivision in an area not too far from South Point High School.
The area for the proposed development is in the woods, in a peaceful place.
“I moved into this sleepy little town 28 years ago,” said Craig Palmer, a neighbor who lives near the proposed development.
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Neighbors know it’s not likely to stay this way.
“This is what got our anger up so to speak. We don’t want to become Charlotte,” said Palmer.
Growth is one thing, but neighbors say more than 600 new homes is too much.
“Belmont now is full. Belmont and South Point is full,” said Buddy Penley, another neighbor.
People living in South Hill Estates say developers of the proposed Henry Chapel subdivision in Belmont want to turn their cul-de-sac into an entrance for the proposed development.
They say nearby South Point Road and Henry Chapel Road aren’t built for all the traffic that will come with the development.
“What is concerning for me is there’s only one road, Henry Chapel Road, and I don’t know how that’s going to work,” said Steve Rutherford, who lives off Henry Chapel Road.
“When traffic is backed up for a couple of miles all the way to get to Charlotte, that’s going to be a problem,” Rutherford explained.
Neighbors are also worried about the impact on the environment with all the construction.
“Belmont touts itself as the ‘tree city.’ Well, I’ve changed that. I think it’s the ‘stump city’ because anywhere there’s a cluster of trees, Belmont cuts them down to put more houses,” said Penley.
Neighbors believe their drinking water might also be affected by the construction runoff because they’re on wells.
“Our PH in our water, is going to drop, it’s going to affect our water. We are going to get the heavy metals,” said Palmer.
They’ll continue to fight against the development to keep Belmont growing at the right speed for the right reasons.,
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“Everything about it is wrong. To me, it has something to do with the almighty dollar,” said Penley.
Queen City News reached out to the developer, Turnstone Group, to ask what they’re doing to minimize environmental impacts and whether they’re open to cutting back on the number of homes. We did not hear back.
There will be a public hearing on Thursday at 6 p.m. in front of Belmont’s planning and zoning board at CityWorks at 1401 E. Catawba Street.
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