20 parking spaces for 125 apartments? Plan stalls affordable housing project
This article appeared in the Feb. 26, 2020, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter on local business. Sign up for free here.
A plan to build affordable housing in Charlotte’s Seversville neighborhood, northwest of uptown, has hit a roadblock.
Citing inadequate parking and the possibility of a tall building too close to single-family homes, city staff said last week that they cannot support a plan by Grubb Properties to build 125 apartments on 0.7 acres. Half the units would be available to residents who make 80% the area’s median income. Building affordable housing has been a key focus of city planners, elected officials and nonprofit leaders — and developers are starting to oblige.
Not enough parking? But this plan will have to be reworked. The city noted that even though the site between State Street and Katonah Avenue is next to a greenway and a future streetcar stop, “the site plan requests an optional provision to only require a total of 20 parking spaces for 125 apartments.”
Some residents have said the area isn’t quite ready for everybody to go all-in on scooters, walking and bikes.
“I live here, and it’s definitely car-dependent,” said Viltis Palubinskas, who lives in a nearby 1920s bungalow. “This is not a not-in-my-backyard situation. Add a parking garage and everything will be much more palatable.”
She said plans that include affordable housing “seem to hold quite a bit of sway.”
In a statement to the Ledger, Eric Applefield, Grubb’s director of development, said:
We are continuing to work closely with the neighborhood and the city to determine the best way to bring much-needed affordable housing to this area. We’ve offered some creative solutions and remain committed to making 50% of our units affordable for those making 80% or less of the AMI. We have already made some adjustments to the zoning application based on our partnership with the neighborhood, and we look forward to continuing these conversations.
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