A major mixed-use project in a northern Charlotte suburb has cleared a key regulatory hurdle.

The Huntersville Planning Board voted Wednesday to back a rezoning proposal for a $200M mixed-use development from WLA Enterprises Inc., The Charlotte Observer reported.

Knox Crossing, proposed for a 44-acre site near the Lake Norman intersection of Sam Furr and Old Statesville roads, would reportedly bring nearly 500 apartments and townhomes to the town and around 82K SF of commercial development. It would be anchored by a 45K SF grocery store.

The board voted 6-3 in favor of the project.

WLA first filed a rezoning request in early January, seeking Transit Oriented Development Residential Conditional District and Highway Commercial Conditional District designations for the site, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

But the planning board initially denied the request, noting several required improvements, including a phasing plan for commercial development to occur alongside residential construction as well as upgrades to architecture, road infrastructure and green space elements.

The town’s board of commissioners will make a final decision on the rezoning proposal at its March 17 meeting.

Knox Crossing’s development team — led by Kevin Rogers of WRS Inc., a local real estate investment firm — is negotiating with three major grocers to anchor the development, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

WRS had estimated it will take two years to complete the project after rezoning approval, according to the CBJ. The company has other developments across the Southeast, including the Shoppes At Mallard Creek in Charlotte. 

Last December, the town allowed developer Peak Development to rezone 21.3 acres at 17220 Old Statesville Road for Station South, a 348-unit residential community with around 25K SF of commercial space.

JLL Capital Markets arranged a $34.115-million construction-to-perm loan for SixSixty, a Class A medical building totaling 124,076 square feet in downtown Sacramento. Senior managing directors Jeff Sause and John Chun worked on behalf of the borrower, the joint venture of Revitate’s opportunity zone platform, RevOZ Capital and Argosy Real Estate Partners, to secure the seven-year loan through Siemens Financial Services.

SixSixty is located at 660 J St. in Sacramento’s Downtown Commons entertainment and lifestyle district. The area has benefitted from a substantial transformation over the past decade through the development of the award-winning Golden1 Center and Downtown Commons retail and entertainment district, among other attractions and luxury hospitality destinations, according to JLL.

Originally built in 1984, SixSixty was fully renovated following the borrower’s 2020 acquisition. 97% of the property’s rentable square footage was recently leased to one of the largest health systems in the nation.

A battery manufacturer has withdrawn plans for a $2.6 billion factory on 360 acres in Coweta County and must now repay money granted to it by local and state governments.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports Freyr Battery entered into an agreement to sell its 368-acre site south of Newnan to an undisclosed buyer for $50 million. The property is at Interstate 85 and Bethlehem Church Road, south of the Newnan-Coweta County Airport. Freyr purchased the property in late 2022 for $42.2 million.

Freyr had announced its Georgia project in 2022, promising over 700 jobs. It received a hefty incentive package and made Newnan its home base. Freyr has changed its business focus, moving into renewable energy.

In recent months, Coweta County has been the target of data center developers and homebuilders. A $17 billion data center proposal emerged in January, and a nearly 700-home project was pitched in November.