STEELE CREEK NEWS
Wrap-Up
Presentation for the Steele
Creek Development Study Released
(March 28, 2017)
Yesterday
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department made the
PowerPoint Presentation
from the March 14 wrap-up meeting for the Steele Creek Development
Response Study available. The study area is generally
bounded by I-485 on the north, Steele Creek Road on the west,
Brown-Grier Road on the south, and the creek along the west side of
school property on the east. The area also includes areas south of
Brown-Grier Road that are part of the Grier farm property.
The Development
Response Study relooks at the study area in light of changes and
development proposals that have occurred since adoption on the
Steele Creek Area Plan in 2012. It allows staff to look at
different development scenarios and consider opportunities and
impacts. The study does not represent official policy changes. It
provides potential street and open space framework for future
development, guidance on appropriate land use intensity, and
enhanced guidance on community design. Development in Steele Creek
is happening quickly and is different than the city expected five
years ago when the area plan was adopted. The study area is one of
the few large contiguous areas of undeveloped land left in Steele
Creek.
The whole area currently is zoned R-3 (up to
three residential units per acre) except for the area along Steele
Creek Road at Dixie River Road where the BP station, Bojangles, and dental office are located.
That area is zoned for Neighborhood Services.
The
Steele Creek Area
Plan calls for residential development with up to six dwelling units
per acre for the entire area north of Brown-Grier Road and
residential development with up to four dwelling units per acre on
the Grier farm property south of Brown-Grier Road. See
Southwest District Adopted Future Land Use map. However, the
Area Plan further states that "consideration will be given to a
mixture of residential, office, and retail uses along Steele Creek
Road. Retail development should be limited to a convenience size
center (70,000 square feet maximum)." This is the area labeled
"6c" on the map to the right from Page 13 of the Steele Creek Area
Plan.
Planning Department
staff held a kick-off meeting on March 7 and were available for a
Design Studio Drop-In throughout the week. They listened to the
community's concerns, reviewed the
RESULTS of the Development Study Community Survey, and
proposed the following:
A street network that
promotes connectivity and includes extending Dixie River Road as a
walkable, bikable route through the area to Sandy Porter Road. The
road design would feature pedestrian refuges and be similar to the
part of Dixie River Road west of Steele Creek Road that runs from the
outlet mall.
An
open space network that
is usable and connected.
Concentrated development
in the northwest quadrant of the study area that takes advantage of
existing and future infrastructure. On the diagram below, the three
shades of purple represent the transition of intensity from the
northwest to the southeast. The level of intensity was not
specified, just that the intensity would be less towards the
southeast.
A Main Street along the extension of Shopton Road West with businesses located along the street similar to Baxter Village in Fort Mill.
A Retail Street
parallel to Steele Creek Road.
Development along
Steele Creek Road that is consistent with that along a
corridor with high vehicular traffic.
Design
standards that set the bar for high for quality and build
from the character of adjacent development at the Berewick Town
Center.
What's next?
There are three outstanding rezoning requests that likely will be
revised to reflect the results of the Development Study. Two have
had community meetings but will have additional meetings once the
rezoning proposals are updated. Planning continues on improvements
to Brown-Grier Road as part of the
Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) for
the
Whitehall/Ayrsley area. Additionally, the North Carolina
Department of Transportation plans to widen Steele Creek Road
beginning in 2022. See
Community Input Requested for CNIP Road Projects and
Steele Creek Projects Included in Latest Transportation Plan.
Planning staff plan to
release a draft report on the Development Response Study by April
17.
A major obstacle is that
the blocks created by the proposed grid of streets are inconsistent
with the property lines for the separate parcels in the stud area.
There will need to be cooperation among the property owners and
possible exchange of land.
The study area
includes five areas of interest:
Neighborhood For
Sale: The
Clearview Acres
neighborhood with about thirteen residences north of the BP station
is currently for sale as a unit. Whoever purchases this area likely
submit a petition for a commercial or mixed use development.
Petition 2017-023:
Petition 2017-023 by LG Acquisitions, LLC requests
rezoning to MUDD-O (Mixed Use Development District-Optional). It
requests up to 85,000 square feet of retail (including a Lidl
grocery, restaurants, personal services, offices, and other
commercial uses), up to 105 hotel units, and up to 200 residential
units.
The grocery is by the German chain Lidl,
described as "upscale discount."
Gambrell
Property: A 176 acre parcel owned by Sarah Belk Gambrell
(Steele Creek Limited Partnership (1997)) is available for future
development, likely residential.
Grier Farm: Pulte Home Corporation has submitted
Petition
2016-120 for the Grier Farm along both sides of Brown-Grier Road. The
submitted site plan calls for 292 apartments, 550 townhomes, and an
80,000 square foot shopping center on 127 acres. This plan is currently under
revision and is likely to become less intense. Some areas, including
the parts south of Brown-Grier Road, may be removed from the
current petition.
Petition 2017-065:
This petition is not yet available online. The petitioner is
requesting rezoning to allow construction of apartments.
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story, please visit the
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Steele Creek Residents Association Facebook Page.
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