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.

Rock Hill, South Carolina, 25 miles south of downtown Charlotte, might soon see a dual-hotel project.

On Jan. 6, the Rock Hill Planning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request from an entity tied to Fort Mill-based Primo Investments, the Charlotte Business Journal reported.

The hotel owner and developer, led by Hitesh Patel, aims to rezone 13.2 acres at 1505 and 1515 Riverchase Blvd., off Exit 82C of Interstate 77, for a project that will construct two hotels on the site.

The Rock Hill City Council, which has final authority on zoning, is expected to make a decision on Jan. 26. 

If the project comes to fruition, the first phase will be an 85,700 SF, 121-room hotel. The second phase will be a 59,300 SF hotel with 116 rooms. The first hotel is expected to be a Marriott-branded Residence Inn, and the second might be a Marriott-branded StudioRes.

Patel’s team is reportedly seeking a master plan-commercial zoning designation. This is designed to allow for a mixture of retail and office uses in a certain parcel or area based on a master plan approved by Rock Hill. The designation allows for some flexibility as the plans progress. 

Patel’s Primo Investments has an active hotel portfolio throughout the Charlotte market, especially in York County, with five hotels in Rock Hill alone. It also boasts two hotels in Fort Mill, two in Charlotte and one in Concord.

Fuquay-Varina had 18,000 people in 2010. Now it’s near 40,000, and town leaders are moving fast to accommodate the growth. A rezoning was for nine parcels totaling 87.98 acres that went from residential agriculture to commercial mixed-use.

A development, to be called Vaughan Park, will include a medical building, two multifamily buildings, six commercial buildings and six mixed-use buildings. The multifamily projects will consist of 742 units. DR Horton is the lead developer. In addition to the commercial component, the company will also build hundreds of homes.

The project will be divided into two distinct developments, each with its own unique features. Amenities for the west side will include a swimming pool, a promenade with public art, two playgrounds and a greenway around the wetlands and ponds.

The east side’s amenities include a swimming pool, clubhouse, a playground, food truck area with shelter and a dog park.

RIPCO Real Estate closed the sale of 88-56 162nd St. for $18.8 million, marking the largest new construction multifamily building sale in the Special Downtown Jamaica District since its 2007 neighborhood-wide rezoning. Measuring 49,264 square feet, the seven-story building features 51 residences and a fully leased ground-floor community facility space.

RIPCO represented seller Jian Chen of 89th Ave Project LLC. The listing team included Stephen R. Preuss Sr., vice chairman of investment sales, and Kevin Schmitz, VP of investment sales, from RIPCO’s Queens office. The buyers, Steven Kordvani and Jonathan Loloi of Parkview Properties, assumed the seller’s fixed-rate mortgage, originated in 2021.

“Since its neighborhood-wide rezoning in 2007, Jamaica has become a destination for new development, with over 5,000 units delivered to the market,” said Schmitz. “The sale of 88-56 162nd St. for $18.8 million not only represents the largest new construction multifamily transaction in the district since that transformative change but also serves as a testament to how the area has continually evolved into one of the most important and popular economic and residential centers in Queens.”