CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Members of Charlotte City Council expressed concern regarding the planning staff recommending approving housing in an area known for airport noise.

Greystar Development East, LLC is proposing to build 306 apartments across six buildings off Queen City Drive, just north of Interstate 85 and Charlotte Douglas International. The 11.5-acre property is near mostly single-family houses plus a couple of churches but also falls under the Airport Noise Disclosure Overlay.

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The rezoning would be from a mixed-use development (MUDD) to Neighborhood 2 Conditional (N2C), which is intended for multi-family dwellings with smaller setbacks. The noise overlay designation would remain regardless of zoning.

Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield noted how on the south side of the airport, many of the residential areas along Steele Creek Road have been rezoned for industrial uses in recent years. This has been due to the impact of noise related to the ever-growing airport. A fourth parallel runway for CLT is under construction.

"I'm trying to understand the support of planning staff for projects that we already know are in the noise overlay, but also are extremely close to the highway and the environmental impact of noise, gas, fuels coming from highway where traffic is going 24 hours," she said to city staff. "Explain why this would be encouraged while at the same time supporting a program to ensure we have better air quality."

Staff recommends approval of this petition. They noted how this property is at the northern end of the noise overlay.

Staff approval comes despite the petition being inconsistent with the city's 2040 Policy Map. A 9-acre section of the property was approved in 2019 for a hotel that was never built.

Mayfield also was concerned that just because the rezoning process acknowledges the noise from the nation's sixth busiest airport, it's unlikely that this would be disclosed to prospective renters at the proposed complex.

"Being within the noise overlay doesn't preclude housing or that it should be exempt from being considered for housing, just that it should be noticed to future residents," the staff member said. "It was identified as a need in terms of equitable framework is being where there is intense need for variety of housing options. Having multifamily, it does speak to that need."

"This isn't being ignored per se, but we didn't feel it's something that should be considered against the proposal," she said. "It was appropriate given its location and need for housing in this area."

Despite the property having a Queen City Drive address, the complex's entrance would be from Tuckaseegee Road, making it more accessible to the schools along that road. An 8-foot planting-strip buffer is required off of Queen City Drive, which is a service road to I-85.

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In terms of the environmental impacts, Councilman Ed Driggs suggested action being taken that would make this part of rezoning decisions.

"We don't have a policy about this," he said, noting it would be an extensive process to create one. "If it is the wish of the council to make a referral whether zoning decisions should be formed by environmental concerns on a location-by-location basis, that's not two sentences, then you have to get deep into circumstances. We don't have that policy, so I'll accept the suggestion of a referral, that would imply that we get a majority to agree that's something to be taken up by the committee."

Councilwoman Renee Johnson reminded the board that it's their responsibility to make these decisions that shape the city's planning policies.

"We know about the environmental challenges," she said. "If hearings are not the time to address it, we have to make time to address it."

A date for the board to vote on the apartment's rezoning has yet to be determined.

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