Our Youth Step Up
Last night at the Waxhaw Town Hall, some quiet but powerful moments unfolded that should give every Union County resident a renewed sense of hope. At the latest meeting of the Western Union Municipal Alliance, two young citizens—Ella Adams of Mineral Springs and Joel Down of Wesley Chapel—stood up to speak to state Representatives David…
Raleigh’s Land Grab
Since our initial discussion of House Bill 765 (HB 765) in April, the legislation has undergone revisions. While some controversial provisions have been removed, the bill still poses significant challenges to local governance, particularly for towns like Waxhaw. North Carolina House Bill 765 — misleadingly titled the “Save the American Dream Act” — is one…
Resources to Oppose HB765
As detailed in this post, HB765 is an unprecedented attack on local government. This post has more detail, and this post explains the problems with the study that is being used to justify this bill. This page contains resources that will make it easy for you to email ALL of your representatives in the NC…
House Bill 765: A Hostile Takeover of Local Government
District 55 Representative Mark Brody (of Union County) is sponsoring a bill (HB765) in the NC House that would virtually eliminate regulation of residential development by local governments in the entire state of North Carolina. Rep. Brody is a contractor by trade (as stated on his page), who if still active would be likely to…
Continue Reading House Bill 765: A Hostile Takeover of Local Government
Atrium Development
On November 26th, 2024, the BOC voted to accept a conditional rezone that allows for the construction of a 190-unit age-restricted (55+) apartment building. The existing zoning of Economic Center requires that non-residential uses be built and well-established before any residential units can be constructed. Beginning with a suggestion by outgoing Town Manager Jeff Wells,…
Local Control Loses, Density Wins
The North Carolina legislature has passed SB382, which contains a sweeping revocation of the local control of all municipal governments to down-zone to lower density. The legislators who supported this say that it is needed to combat local government abuses in western NC post-Helene, but some representatives from those areas actually voted against it. Another…
Waxhaw’s Big Flush
Most Waxhaw residents know about the 12 Mile Creek wastewater treatment plant on Kensington Drive. It serves Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel, Indian Trail, Stallings, parts of Marvin, and some unincorporated areas of Union County. However, if the new residential developments approved by the Waxhaw BOC were allocated wastewater capacity tomorrow, there would be almost none…
Big Developer Propaganda
There’s nothing wrong with free enterprise and making an honest living, but building/development companies have crossed the line when they seek to subvert the will of the people through obfuscation and outright lies. Even worse, we have seen dark money attempt to influence our local elections in favor of pro-development candidates. Profit-motivated builders and developers…
Density Redefined
In March of 2021, the Unified Development Ordinance was replaced by the Land Development Code. The LDC encouraged higher-density residential development by: Increasing the density of R1, allowing one house per acre instead of one house per 2 1/3 acres Eliminating R2 (half acre lots) Adding a density bonus to R3, allowing up to 3.5…
Illegal To Vote No?
When discussing growth in our town, it’s important to understand the distinction between “by right” projects, and projects that require a “conditional” rezone. If a proposed project/development is “by right”, it means that the existing zoning is adequate, and there is no rezoning decision for the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners to make. It would of…
Update from Commissioner Susanna Wedra
Here’s another video update from Commissioner Wedra, specifically regarding some more new developments that are proposed. https://youtu.be/03IE8PaVS9Q?si=dKho6BbIUq45ZqRk
Graham Property Annex/Rezone
On April 23, 2024, in a 3 to 2 vote, the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved the annexation of 168.58 acres from Union County R-20 to Waxhaw R-3 and Employment Center, despite strong opposition from the neighbors and surrounding community.NCGS 160D-605(b) addresses the statement of reasonableness, in that the statute lists factors to consider,…
2×2 Update from Commissioner Wedra
Since the majority of the Waxhaw BOC insist on continuing with “2×2” meetings which the public are not invited to, Commissioner Wedra has kindly provided a video report of the discussions. Multiple residential developments were presented, one of which was “pre-zoned” a few years ago. For a snapshot of what’s currently in the pipeline, refer…
Taxes and Residential Development
On Friday, March 8th in a special meeting of the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners, Randall Arendt (Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute) from Greener Prospects was brought in as an expert, and stated that “you never get more tax dollars from development unless it’s non-residential”. However, there are a few exceptions: Age-restricted with no…
The 2021 Waxhaw Rezone
In the March 23, 2021 meeting of the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners, several parcels of land were suddenly re-zoned to significantly higher densities. On a particularly large tract right in the center of Waxhaw, this was done in the absence of any plan for future development. Usually when the board is asked to zone for…
Residential Development in the Pipeline
Check the BOC Voting Log for dates, and more details.
Gary Sides on Polo Grounds
Speaking about the proposed Polo Grounds development last night Gary Sides, on the UCPS Board of Education expressed some of the frustration that many are feeling in Waxhaw. He also laid out some of the unappealing scenarios that could occur if this development get approved. There are others on the board who feel the same…
Don’t be Misled!
DON’T BE MISLED when elected officials attempt to obscure facts that reveal their indefensible rezoning approvals. Even when information taken directly from the town’s website is presented, elected officials will still attempt to mislead the public and insult their intelligence. This is very revealing.For instance, the Yarbrough Village rezoning was approved by this current board…
Approved Projects Transforming Our Town
Yarbrough Village rezoning was approved by the current Waxhaw Board of Commissioners on January 10, 2023. This is in addition to at least 600 units already approved by this current board. (Hwy 75/Somer Street, Rogers Pond Subdivision, Villages of Waxhaw, Prescot Village, Cottage Park, Southcreek, and Amavi).Yarbrough Village will have up to:8 units per acre…
Waxhaw Neighborhood Centers
There are 10 Neighborhood Centers depicted on the Future Land Use draft. It is nearly impossible to see the yellow circles over the yellow zoned areas on that map, so I included the Pedestrian Plan map as well. You may ask, what does a Neighborhood Center include?Single-FamilyAttached Cottage HomesDuplex/Triplex/QuadraplexUpper Story ApartmentsLive Work UnitsThe following two…
Top Down Growth Planning
Smart Growth America and How They are Transforming our Town:The Waxhaw Board of Commissioners adopted a development plan created by Smart Growth America. Smart Growth America is a 501-(c)(3) that is funded by organizations such as The Rockefeller Foundation and follows a housing and development model closely aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda.The Rockefeller…
Polo Grounds Proposed Development
Click images for information about the proposal. The property is currently zoned R-1 and EC.
Adelina Development
The approval of the Adelina development, that will connect to the Inverness community, is not a foregone conclusion. The land is not in the Town of Waxhaw. It is in Union County. The Waxhaw Board of Commissioners can choose to not annex. The Waxhaw Board of Commissioners can choose to not approve the project. Presently,…
The Vicious Waxhaw Circle
As local property taxes go up, long-time residents with land may not be able to afford them. Over time they end up selling their land and moving away. This paves the way for higher-density development and higher population. The increased population boosts town revenues, and elected officials tend to find a way to spend it…