Coming to blows at the new fire station?

Per the The Enquirer-Journal, there was a healthy debate on the new Historic Ventures venture.

WAXHAW — A proposed apartment complex in the downtown Waxhaw historic district has residents mobilized and divided. A public hearing Tuesday prompted 25 individuals to sign up to speak against the approval of a conditional-use permit for the complex, while seven signed up to speak for it. They will all have to wait until next week to do so.

VillageScribeOnline has this to say about it via Twitter:

Fist Fight at WAXHAW Town Council Meeting. In typical chaotic fashion,the Re-Zone-CUP hearing for Historic Ventures project went a bit crazy

Kay Carnes feels strongly about the situation as she's quoted both in The Enquirer-Journal article

“How is all that traffic going to get in and out?” resident Kay Carnes asked. “Where is the water and sewer coming from for 180-plus occupants? We’re not trying to be ugly, but we do want to preserve the historic nature of the town.”

and also days before the meeting in a letter to the The Enquirer-Journal. A snippet:

Ninety plus apartments are not needed nor appropriate! Where will the water and sewer for a possible 180 plus people and traffic control for 180 plus cars come from? Does the proposed federal lending tell our town officials who can and cannot rent the ninety plus apartments?

It is my speculation that the apartments the developer says he needs to build to have enough money to replace the run down buildings will be the only buildings that will ever be built!!

Does Waxhaw really need ninety plus apartments? High-end apartments for professional people we are told. Why not build town houses or condo’s if they are such high-ended persons. Owning one’s dwelling would not only increase taxes but insure that they are well-kept as well. I am a teacher by profession.

For those unaware, the Historic Ventures project is the one that plans to redevelop land along Broome Street & Church Street. Or in these highlighted areas.
For more information on this project from the Historic Ventures perspective, visit their site.

As for my opinion, I don't necessarily see the downsides to the redevelopment. That part of town could benefit considering it looks more like an eyesore than not. I don't see the immediate downside of having an apartment complex included, which appears to be creating most of the conflict. Of course, I was upset the Walmart project was run out of town a couple years back, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

And the lengthy Board of Commissioners meeting that opened the post? It's not over. Per a Town of Waxhaw Facebook update, it is scheduled to reconvene at the Museum of the Waxhaws on October 20th, 2009 at 6:30pm.