LINCOLN COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A community meeting was held Tuesday night over a planned townhome development that neighbors oppose in east Lincoln County.

The area faces the same issue as many other communities surrounding Charlotte: how to grow but not overcrowd schools, roads, and infrastructure.

More traffic is one thing.

“We would be driving through there every day, going to and from school,” said Brian Moates, who lives near the proposed development.

More students is another issue.

“Schools are already at capacity,” said Moates.

Neighbors say the real problem is just too many homes in one area.

“Putting this many homes, high-density homes in that area — is truly — it’s irresponsible,” said Moates.

According to a notice from Lincoln County’s Planning and Inspections Department sent to neighbors, builder D.R. Horton Homes is asking Lincoln County to rezone 26 acres on North Ingleside Farm Road near Highway 73 in the Catawba Springs Township to build 176 townhomes.

Moates says D.R. Horton withdrew its first request for the project because of opposition from the community.

“I think they heard us loud and clear,” said Moates.

Neighbors thought developers were listening until Moates says D.R. Horton cut the project in half but kept the density the same.

Moates says the current plan still has about the same number of homes proportionally to the land as the last plan.

“We live on a four-lane divided highway that connects Charlotte to Hickory, and we’re right off of Lake Norman, so the reality is development’s coming,” said Moates.

He says he’s just asking developers to be more thoughtful.

“No one’s trying to deny development or keep it a small town,” said Moates. “Let’s stick with what the planning ultimately was.”

The meeting was to talk about the proposal.

The next step would be for the plan to go to the Lincoln County Planning Board and then ultimately to commissioners before any rezoning would happen.