Property taxes have been on many residents’ minds lately, and the conversation often focuses on cutting costs or tightening the budget. But there’s another powerful way a town can keep taxes in check, by shaping development to create a balanced and diversified tax base.
How Development Shapes What You Pay
The type of growth a community allows has a direct impact on its financial health. Experts recommend that municipal revenue ideally come from a ratio of about 65% residential and 35% commercial sources. This proportion helps ensure homeowners aren’t covering most of the bill for public services, infrastructure, and operations.
When I joined the Board a year and a half ago, Waxhaw’s proportion was already far from healthy: 89% residential to just 11% commercial. This is an unsustainable gap.
Employment Centers: Designed for Business Growth
Our town’s Land Development Code designates certain areas as Employment Centers, zones intended to attract substantial commercial projects, foster job creation, and strengthen the local economy. Housing can be allowed in these zones, but only after a conditional rezoning process and only when commercial development is already well established.
That standard, however, hasn’t been upheld by previous leadership or the current board majority. Time after time, high-density residential projects have been approved before any significant business development has taken root.
In the past 18 months alone, Waxhaw’s tax base has shifted even further in the wrong direction: 93% residential, 7% commercial.
The Views at Olivia: A Pivotal Choice
A new proposal—The Views at Olivia—highlights what’s at stake. The site is zoned as an Employment Center and could support up to 120,000 square feet of valuable commercial space. That level of development could help reverse our imbalance and ease long-term tax pressure on homeowners.
Instead, the plan on the table calls for just 20,000 square feet of commercial use and 307 apartment units, which would deepen the imbalance and demand more from town resources.
This comes at a time when nearly 4,000 new residential units are already approved and in the construction pipeline, most by the previous administration and current board majority.
Time to Speak Up
Waxhaw is facing a defining moment. As of now, the Board of Commissioners will hold a vote on August 12, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall, deciding whether to approve or deny The Views at Olivia. The developer is requesting a delay, but we will keep you posted.
I urge every resident to attend, share your views during public comments, and help decide which path we take, one that adds to the residential strain or one that makes room for the commercial growth that could secure a stronger, more sustainable future.