Kannapolis zoning change approval frustrates neighbors
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, July 2, 2025
KANNAPOLIS — A request for a zoning change to a parcel on Camp Julia Road was approved by the Kannapolis City Council at its June 23 meeting, but several neighbors have expressed concern.
The proposed change will allow a developer to put up to 324 townhomes on the 53-acre parcel, though much of the property is not developable.
According to the application, the site is located at 3397 Camp Julia Road and is situated east of I-85 and west of Old Salisbury-Concord Road, south of Brantley Road. The site is approximately 53.18 acres and is zoned LDR within Cabarrus County. Kannapolis voted to annex the property in February and the applicant then requested a zone change from R4 to R8 CZ (Conditional Zoning).
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During a community meeting prior to coming before the council, Bridget Grant, a representative from Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, met with residents and City Planner Richard Smith to listen to and address some of the neighbors concerns.
One of the first questions was about sewer service, and Grant noted and Smith confirmed that sewer connections will not be available for several years, so this is a future project. But Smith advised neighbors the project would not require anyone who currently has well and septic systems to connect to city lines.
Grant also explained that the proposal for connected townhomes instead of single family homes fits with the city’s Land Use Plan, and is designed in part to address growing needs for housing in the city.
City Manager Mike Legg noted during the council meeting that the city is in need of additional housing units and that need is only going to grow as development grows, bringing new jobs and new residents.
There were questions about the planned roadways, and while it was explained that any builder that purchases the property will have to work with DOT on proper access and turning lanes and accessibility, there were no plans to completely rework the existing roads. At least three neighbors then asked about stub roads adjacent to their property, with two noting that roads would end directly in front of their home or at their property line, and they are concerned about possible trespassing or misuse without a buffer. Grant explained the connectivity requirements per Kannapolis’ development ordinance in which roadway stubs are built to the property line to allow for future roadway extensions with future development.
A Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) has been initiated to determine the proposed development’s impact on roads and any necessary mitigation improvements, and the development will be required to meet all city and NCDOT road requirements. On-street parking is shown on the rezoning plan.
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In the presentation to the council, buffers and fencing were added to the proposal to address some of those concerns.
But perhaps the most voiced concern was the potential impact on what neighbors see as a quiet, rural neighborhood, with roads that are already too narrow and on which drivers speed, but which otherwise is a peaceful, single family neighborhood.
Joseph and Kate Battinelli repeated the concerns they raised at the community meeting again with the council.
“When we bought our house, we thought we were buying a home in a quiet, rural area and no sooner did we close on the house than this proposal comes forward,” said Joseph. “This isn’t what we thought we were getting.” He and Kate both expressed concern about how an additional 324 homes would increase traffic, would increase the load on city services such as police and fire and on schools, since surely there will be families moving in.
Grant advised neighbors that any amenities within the property would be private, so no one from the public would be driving in to access the property from outside, that sidewalks would also be self-contained in the neighborhood, and that more than 40 percent of the property would be open space. She added that the property will eventually be sold to a builder so she couldn’t say if the units would be all owner-occupied or if some would be for rent, or what the percentage might be. Grant explained that would be up to the management company and HOA at the time the covenants and restrictions are written.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission did hold public hearings on March 18 and April 15 and denied the request to rezone. However, in its resolution to approve the application, the city council “found it to be consistent with the city of Kannapolis’ Move Kannapolis Forward, 2030 Comprehensive Plan, reasonable and in the public interest,” the proposal was approved.