Town board narrowly approves Knox Crossing mixed‑use rezoning, including 30 affordable units and greenway amenities

Huntersville — The Town of Huntersville approved a rezoning for the Knox Crossing mixed‑use development on May 19, authorizing a project that could include roughly 413 residential units and up to 87,000 square feet of commercial space near the future commuter rail station.

The board voted 4–3 to approve R25‑16 after an extended discussion about design, parking and public‑space tradeoffs. The approved plan includes a commitment to about 7.5 percent of units designated as affordable for 15 years (approximately 30 units), a central green with a stage and amphitheater adjacent to a planned seam trail, and a number of live‑work units along the roundabout and thoroughfare. The applicant agreed the same day to remove a proposed gas station from the site plan.

Brad Priest, the town planning staff member who presented the plan, described constraints that shaped the design: stream buffers crossing the site, a required thoroughfare and roundabout alignment, and Highway 73 access conditions. Those constraints prompted changes from earlier submissions, Priest said, including converting some apartment buildings into townhomes and adding more active uses that front the greenway.

Susan Irvin, representing the applicant, said the revised plan emphasizes public space and walkability. She described the project’s central lawn and stage, plazas, pocket parks, a pollinator garden, and live‑work storefronts intended to incubate small businesses. "This project places the greenway and public spaces at the center of the neighborhood," Irvin said.

Opponents and some commissioners criticized the plan’s remaining suburban features — notably surface parking and single‑story commercial buildings — arguing the site should more closely match an urban, transit‑oriented vision. Commissioner Walsh said the plan still “feels more reflective of a suburban commercial center than the type of urban center envisioned for this area.”

Supporters pointed to the affordable housing commitment and the greenway integration. Commissioner Rivers said the project "could not have come at a better time" given the town’s affordable‑housing goals and the board’s recent policy emphasis.

The board attached multiple conditions and required outstanding red‑line staff comments be resolved before final approvals. Those conditions include addressing specimen‑tree mitigation, conforming to engineering comments about alleys and grading, and finalizing buffer/landscape details along Highway 73, subject to planning staff approval. The vote was 4 in favor and 3 opposed; the mayor cast the deciding vote in favor of the rezoning.

Next steps include addressing the outstanding engineering and landscape redlines and final plan approvals before permitting and phased construction. The applicant and staff said commercial spaces and mixed‑use buildings are expected early in the project’s build‑out, but exact phasing will depend on tenant commitments and engineering approvals.