05-02-2025
Latest Birkdale Village reimagining includes boutique hotel, hundreds of more parking spaces
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The new owners of Birkdale Village show they've been listening to neighbors' concerns in the latest proposal to expand the mixed-use development.
The Jamestown real estate management firm presented its pitch to add an apartment building, office tower and boutique hotel to Birkdale. The company acquired the property's former owners, North American Properties, in October.
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Among concerns for the busy shopping and residential area has long been regarding parking. The proposed rezoning would include 518 new spaces, mostly courtesy of new parking decks that would replace two of the four current ones.
The town's land-use plan requires 1,959 total spaces given the rezoning, but the new-look development would have more than 2,400.
Jamestown officials hope the 100-foot-tall commercial tower — knocked down from 115 — will have 'Class A' office space, of which none exists in town.
Also new to the area is the proposed upscale hotel. Jamestown's Francis Bohn hopes to have a brand similar to Marriott's Autograph collection. The Grand Bohemian in Uptown Charlotte is among those.
'It's really catered around a specific location,' she said. 'This is a special place, this is not Charlotte, this is not Raleigh, it's not a lot different places. It would be a highlight of a local chocolatier, and you would get a chocolate on your bed at the end of the night.'
All of the new development would be on the southern end of the Birkdale property, mostly along Townley Road. The apartments would be built where the Dick's Sporting Goods is currently, and office space would fill space occupied by Barnes & Noble. But town officials noted that the stores' leases are ending in a few years and those businesses are seeking smaller footprints.
The rezoning is from Highway Commercial Conditional District to Highway Commercial Conditional District for commercial, hotel, office and multi-family uses.
In addition to parking solutions within the development, Bohn already offered mitigation options for the adjacent Greens at Birkdale neighborhood. Those include adding no-parking signs, increased police support, etc.
She said Jamestown will not add more parking if the project is denied.
An office building, along with a hotel and apartments were previously proposed under the North American Properties ownership. But all versions of those proposals were denied by town board.
Huntersville residents have recently shown resistance to new hotels in general.
NAP led wholesale changes to its tenants since it took over Birkdale in 2020, including adding more shops and amenities to what is now called the Grove. The town noted that a hotel, multi-family and office were in the original master plans when Birkdale was planned in 1999.
Commissioner Edwin Quarles mentioned how Lake Norman-area residents have been against changes to Birkdale, especially when it comes to sacrificing parking spaces. But that a project like this must fit with the town's growth plan.
'Birkdale Village is attractive and it's vibrant,' he said. 'That's why it's so busy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For the Christmas tree lighting, people park at Hickory Tavern and walk to Birkdale village. 'Progress stops for no man, no person, no town, and we have to do the right thing.'
N.C. Department of Transportation is already scheduled to widen Sam Furr Road (N.C. 73) through Huntersville, a project that is slated to begin construction in 2026. Bohm said no further traffic-related changes were needed from the proposed project. The firm also has agreed to fund a greenway pedestrian bridge over Sam Furr.
No date to vote on the project was provided. If approved, Jamestown would start construction in late 2027.
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