CHARLOTTE — A massive swath of land in Steele Creek is ready for development following Charlotte City Council’s unanimous approval Tuesday of its rezoning petition.
Local developer Childress Klein filed the rezoning petition in March 2021. It plans to develop 1.2 million square feet of medical and office space, including a potential community hospital by Novant Health.
The rezoning would also allow an additional 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 250 hotel rooms, 275 apartments or senior-living units, and 75 townhouses, CBJ reported last year.
There are some concerns surrounding the new project and the traffic that may come with it.
The 185-acre undeveloped site is just off Interstate 485 near Berewick and Charlotte Premium Outlets. It’s on a two-lane road that’s already congested.
“The location of this site, right off Steele Creek Road meets 485, is kind of the best of worse case these days,” said Javier Lopez, president of the Steele Creek Residents Association.
In December 2021, city council denied a zoning request for more senior apartments along Steele Creek Road near Erwin Road, mainly due to infrastructure concerns.
Steele Creek Road, between I-485 and South Tryon Street, desperately needs to be widened, but plans to do so have been delayed.
“I view it as a causality of the delay of the widen of 160,” Lopez said.
Rebekah Williams is the general manager of Chicken Salad Chick, a new restaurant that has just opened in the area. She said she welcomes the new development, but she understands the frustrations with North Carolina Highway 160.
“It used to take me 15-20 minutes, now it’s taking me almost an hour,” she said.
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