Charlotte City Council OK’s 1,000-job industrial site despite environmental concerns
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Charlotte City Council narrowly approved an industrial development in west Charlotte expected to create around 1,000 jobs, despite concerns from nearby residents about the environmental impact.
In a seven-to-four vote Monday night, council OK’d the proposal from developer The Keith Corporation to build up to 1.5 million square feet of industrial and outdoor storage uses. Council members Braxton Winston, Renee Perkins Johnson, Victoria Watlington and Matt Newton voted against the proposal for the site, off of Interstate 85 and Moores Chapel Road.
In a September hearing, Alan Lewis, managing partner of industrial development at The Keith Corporation, said the firm is in discussions with e-commerce companies and a large manufacturer in the Charlotte area looking to consolidate facilities.
The property is owned by Square Grooves LLC, a corporation affiliated with the founder of Broad River Retail, an Ashley HomeStore licensee.
But neighbors are worried the project, located in the Lake Wylie Protected Area, could negatively impact water quality. The 156-acre development site contains two streams and is near the Catawba River.
“It sets a terrible precedent for taking over a community, and basically condemning the community to be an industrial park,” said Missy Eppes, co-founder and co-president of the Far West Charlotte Community Coalition.
Council member Victoria Watlington compared the decision to the destruction of Brooklyn, once the city’s largest Black neighborhood before it was bulldozed during the federal urban renewal program in the 1960s and ‘70s.
“Ultimately we are sealing the fate of the residents here who live here and have been purchasing homes based on the area plan and anticipating what the future of this area would look like,” she said.
The facility is classified as “light” industrial, and Lewis has said it will comply with environmental regulations and critical watershed development standards. The development firm is also planning to set aside part of the site for tree save, to make infrastructure improvements and to convey 56 acres to the county, city or a third party to be used for open space, according to the plans.
“I must say that you guys have done everything in your power to make a difficult situation more palatable,” Council member Tariq Bokhari said of The Keith Corporation.
Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt said there’s a need to bring jobs like those in the logistics industry to Charlotte, especially because they often don’t require a college degree.
“We have to identify where that light industrial is going to go,” she said. “It makes sense to me, and it is the most environmentally-friendly answer to put it near the airport.”
The project is near several other industrial sites, including an Amazon fulfillment center that opened last year.
Sam Smith, with the Northwest Community Alliance, said the project is a missed opportunity to bring needed amenities like a grocery store or other shops to the area.
“Many people in this community go to Belmont to do any of their shopping,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to go to Belmont. I pay taxes to Mecklenburg County.”
