Rezoning approved for Ballantyne Corporate Park; Sandstone Group Plans Mixed-Use Community in Matthews

By Amalia Otet, Associate Editor

Steve Sanders, managing director of the Sandstone Group, a local company focused on real estate development and investment in the Charlotte market and surrounding areas, has recently announced plans to build a 274-apartment complex, which will be made up of several three- and four-story buildings and willinclude 40,000 square feet of office space. The mixed-use development will sit on 20 acres at the corner of Idlewild and Stallings Roads, next to the Interstate 485/Idlewild Road interchange and will be primarily addressing young professionals and empty-nesters as most units will be designed to have one and two bedrooms.

For the project to roll out as planned, the developers need a zoning change approval to turn the site’s classification from residential into mixed-use; the Matthews Planning Board will review the request in the coming weeks and will bring a recommendation to commissioners by Oct. 10, according to South Charlotte News.

Bissell Cos. had also filed a rezoning petition earlier this year to add another 1,060,000 square feet of office space, approximately 200 hotel rooms and 600 residential units to the Ballantyne zoning plan. The Charlotte City Council has signed off on the rezoning of the 520 acres that will allow the company to move ahead on its expansion plans for Ballantyne Corporate Park.

The City Council also approved the rezoning of two acres on the corner of Park Road and Tyvola Road from residential to business to allow construction of a long-disputed Autobell car wash, despite opposition from residents of the nearby Southgate community, which mainly concerns traffic getting worse in an already crowded area and the fact that the building would not fit in terms of architecture to the rest of the SouthPark neighborhood. Yet the site of the abandoned La Petite Academy day care sits amidst an array of retail centers, office space and high quality residences, which makes the location ideal for such a business like car-washing.

The Charlotte Observer reports that the project might start in November, with the opening slated for next spring.