We are less than 30 days away from Charlotte City Council's formal hearing on the Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning Request. The developer has requested the delay from the January 16th meeting and now we are planning on a even bigger turnout for the Monday January 19th Meeting at 5PM in Charlotte City Council Chambers.
Now for the really big "ask" ........
Over the next 30 days we would like to remind the Mayor, Charlotte City Council Members and Zoning Committee Members of the groundswell of opposition to this rezoning request. We hope you will consider emailing our elected and appointed officials.
Below you will find an updated email list and sample letters.
Thank you for your continued support.
(We are currently monitoring the nest as Eagles Glen and Piper are taking turns sitting on two and possibly three eggs that we anticipate will "hatch" on our near Valentine's Day.)
The updated list of Charlotte City Council Members:
Dante.Anderson@charlottenc.gov
James.Mitchell@charlottenc.gov
LaWana.Mayfield@charlottenc.gov
Malcolm.Graham@charlottenc.gov
Marjorie.Molina@charlottenc.gov
Victoria.Watlington@charlottenc.gov
Charlotte Mayor:
Zoning Committee Members:
Douglas Welton, Chairperson - douglas_welton@einsteinslegacy.com
Terry Lansdell - lansdell.tl@gmail.com
Shana Neeley - shneeley@yahoo.com
Will Russell - russellclt704@gmail.com
Clayton Sealey - cltdevelopment1775@gmail.com
Rebekah Whilden - rebekah.whilden@gmail.com
Mayor and City Council Rezoning Sample Letter:
Subject: Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning RZP 2022-121
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
More than 18,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to this rezoning request.
We in south Charlotte are all very aware of the need for additional housing as Charlotte grows. However, this project offers nothing in the way of affordable or work force housing and does nothing to correct the limited supply of homes (new or existing) on the market. Because it is being developed as "luxury rental apartments".
• Charlotte’s population and traffic has grown dramatically during the last decade as have the demands for City/County Services. Unfortunately, the ability to provide these services has not kept pace with the growth. In short this area of Charlotte does not have the infrastructure to accommodate 640 additional rental units and the resulting traffic as well as unforeseen costs to the city and taxpayers.
• Charlotte property owners have the reasonable expectation that the continuity of their neighborhoods will remain unchanged, and that property zoned NA-1 single family detached (Formerly R-3) will remain zoned single family and not abruptly become a towering multifamily rental complex which is not in keeping with the character or continuity of the area.
• The wildlife in this area includes beavers, coyotes, an abundance of deer, racoons, opossums, hawks, owls large and small, and a nesting pair of American Bald Eagles who have adapted to the incursion of suburbia admirably. We as citizens have a duty to actively preserve, protect, and conserve our natural resources.
I urge you to VOTE NO on the Rea Road Gillespie Property Rezoning Request RZP 2022-121.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)
Zoning Committee Sample Letter:
Good Morning:
I'm sure you know that RZP 2022-121 the Rea Road Gillespie Property will soon come up for consideration. I urge you to examine this proposal critically as it in no way conforms to the UDO in density, continuity, affordability, or tree canopy preservation. In addition it burdens traffic, overwhelms schools and current infrastructure, and threatens Four Mile Creek with additional flooding.
The property was already rezoned via the UDO.
There has been incredible pushback by citizens necessitating an additional Community Meeting, and a petition for denial is circulating with more than 18,000 signatures.
To date, the Petitioner has made zero effort to compromise with those locally affected beyond the initial reduction to 640 units. There are 1,192 apartment units within walking distance of the property. The area is currently well housing diversified.
Sure there is significant financial benefit to the City, the Developer and the Owner…but at what cost to Charlotte’s infrastructure, neighborhoods, and environment?
Please suggest that Council deny this petition.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)
Alternative Sample Mayor and Council Letter:
Good Morning:
I just wanted to let you know of my opposition to the RK Investors Charlotte, LLC (Rezoning Petition 2022-121) also known as the Rea Road Gillespie Property.
RK Investors Charlotte, LLC has requested to change the zoning from the current single family (R-3) zoning to accommodate the development of multi-family dwelling units,allowing for the construction of more than 640 rental units and towering five story apartment buildings.
As you may know the 2040 Plan has designated this property as "Neighborhood 1" (Neighborhood 1 places are the lower density housing areas across Charlotte, where most of the city’s residents live, primarily in single-family or small multi-family homes or ADUs.) and I feel it should remain as such and unchanged.
I encourage you to vote against the rezoning petition.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Phone Number)