MINT HILL, NC – In this months recap we are going to focus on the hottest topic in the town of Mint Hill these days. It’s the Land Use Plan, and it will determine the town’s future growth and development.

According to the study, they had 415 participants, 2,260 responses, and 524 comments from the residents and local citizens in the Town of Mint Hill.

The comprehensive plan focused on 5 key factors.

• Sense of Community – The residents overwhelmingly want to maintain the Town’s “small town environment.” Citizens want to encourage more community interaction in events, recreation, and celebration of the history of Mint Hill.
• Preference for “Things to Do” – More development of mixed use activity centers that offer a range of shopping and dinning, along with civic uses.
• Growth and Challenge Demographics – Concentration on development in key areas and provide more employment opportunities for a changing demographic.
• Open Spaces – Residents want to preserve the areas natural resources and green spaces that will enhance the Town’s character. They want to connect these areas with the recreation activity centers, along with neighborhoods with a combination of walking trails, biking, and good clean facilities.
• Infrastructure to Guide and Support Development – Plan for infrastructure to serve areas within the community that have concentrated development while leveraging opportunities for shared funding with local, state, and federal partners.

A major recommendation from the study clearly shows that parks, recreation, and greenways are a high priority for Mint Hill residents. Therefore, exploring various programs and public investments while partnering with local and state entities is essential for success. Also, the possibility of a bond initiative, and developing private partnerships for investment should be on the table as another resource option to meet the desired result.  How best to connect residential neighborhoods to the parks and greenway destinations is another essential piece of the plan.

It is important to note that the plan is a guideline for the Town Planners and Board of Commissioners for the next ten years of development. It’s a normal business practice for many communities to update their plan every decade. Therefore, the result of what guidance the Town of Mint Hill takes and its leadership is extremely important for the future development of the community.

The one issue of concern that was brought to the attention of the Mayor and Board of Commissioners focused on open space property located off of Blair Road near the community. A contingent of residents from the Summerwood neighborhood expressed their support not to change the zoning from residential to light industrial as they fear it will have an impact upon their property values and lead to more potential truck traffic in the area, including noise, thus reducing the quality of life in the upper middle class community. Their concern certainly has merit, and all speakers seemed united behind the initiative to retain the current residential zoning.

One speaker captured the mood of the audience in attendance when he urged the Town leaders to demonstrate the wisdom of Waxhaw and Weddington, not to follow the foolishness of Matthews and Indian Trail.

Another topic of interest was the Town Manager Brian Welch receiving authorization by the Board of Commissioners to execute a contract to enter into a pre-construction and design services agreement with Edifice, LLC, for the Lebanon Public Service facility.

Mint Hill is growing; it is a hotspot for developers with its location only 15 miles from Uptown Charlotte united with its bounty of open land and spaces. How the Town of Mint Hill develops over the next decade will certainly shape its short term growth and long term future.