Homeowners could be responsible for millions of dollars in road repairs

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Residents use Grand Palisades Parkway to get to school and the grocery store in southwest Mecklenburg County.

GPS systems direct drivers to use to the road to avoid traffic. If there was ever a nuclear emergency, the parkway would be an evacuation route. Despite it being used by thousands of drivers, maintenance for the important road could soon fall on hundreds of homeowners who don’t have millions of dollars to spare.

Kerry and David Comstock have lived in the Palisades neighborhood for almost 16 years. Over that time, they’ve watched their area explode with growth and the Grand Palisades Parkway hasn’t been spared.

“The building has been incredible,” resident David Comstock said. “It’s been rapid, and it has increased tremendously.”

The road is currently owned by Lennar Corporation, the developer behind many of the homes along the parkway. But Comstock says Lennar plans to deed the road to the homeowners’ association.

That means the approximate 1,500 people in the HOA would be responsible for its upkeep.

“It’s just not right,” he said.

State Sen. DeAndrea Salvador is trying to change that. She filed the Funds for Orphan Roads in Mecklenburg County bill that would require the North Carolina Department of Transportation to make all necessary improvements to Grand Palisades Parkway and to maintain it. The bill also provides $5 million for the upkeep of other orphan roads in Mecklenburg County. Orphan roads are streets that are used by the public but are privately maintained.

The bill notes Grand Palisades Parkway is used by students who attend 22 schools and could be used as a nuclear evacuation route.

“It’s not for beautification,” Salvador said. “It is truly for safety purposes and the fact that they are just a core artery of the Steele Creek community.”

The Comstocks are hopeful the bill will pass. They say the road needs to be the responsibility of the government, not an HOA.

“It looks like it is going to be a lifesaver,” he said.

Salvador’s bill was just filed so it is still in the early stages. It must go through a committee and get a floor vote.

The Grand Palisades Parkway is a 20-year-old subdivision roadway, which was upgraded to a minor thoroughfare in 2018. The parkway sits in unincorporated Mecklenburg County.

Lennar Corporation did not respond to a request for comment.

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