reprinted from the Observer
by REBECCA SULOCK, Charlotte Observer
Here at Latest Developments, we were delighted to receive our first reader question last week.
Nick Carson wrote to ask what’s happening with the Belmont Town Center development planned across from South Point High School.
We thought that was a good question, especially considering all the discussion about the traffic impact of putting a grocery store and retail center across from a high school. We didn’t just think that because he flattered our previous columns, either.
Detailed plans for the center should come to Belmont’s planning department in November, said senior planner Adrian Miller.
Rumor has it the grocery store will be a Food Lion, despite neighborhood lobbying efforts for a Harris Teeter. That’s from a conversation we had with the mayor two months ago.
The mixed-use development will be on 34 acres at South Point Road and R.L. Stowe Road, and will likely include 109 homes, a 48,000-square-foot grocery store, a 20,000-square-foot retail space, a bank, a drugstore and three other stores.
Farther down South Point Road, Charlotte developer Lockard Reed has submitted early plans for a 223-home development at Henry Chapel Road, Miller said. Belmont’s planning department is looking at the project and will send suggestions back to the developer — the next step would be for Lockard Reed to bring more details to the planning board.
The Belmont Front Porch 
I agree. we do not need another Food Poodle. Harris Teeter, Lowes, or even an Ingles would be nice. I am looking forward to the String Bean opening. The city council needs to keep these developers to there plans, Apartments would not be a good thing.
I run all over the county looking for basic recipe ingredients! Belmont needs a decent market with a well trained staff. The staffs at ALL the markets in the area have no idea what they have in stock- very time consuming and frustrating! If we ask the staff if they carry a item, they frequently don’t know what it is and always say no they do not carry it. When we search we often find it. The store misses out on the sale and a history of the consumer’s needs.
We’d like to walk to the market, there is no safe way to do so. Belmont needs sidewalks and crosswalks.
Lets be honest, Belmont is changing. We deserve a better grocery store than a Food Lion, BI LO, Walmart, etc.
I just heard that the Belmont Town Center developer is going to propose a complete change to the project and wants to build apartments instead of condos and fast food restaurants.
Note to City Council – please reject this plan – the original plan is perfect and there are plenty of folks looking to move to Belmont to make the project a success. Maybe we can require current developers to widen South Point Rd – the traffic is getting horrendous and there are 3 major developments underway.
The town of Belmont needs A COSTCO-home depot-starbucks or a fancy coffie internet place-whole foods is great-A multiplex theater-AND A COSTCO..COSTCO.. pass it on,let’s geter done
What’s everbody think about the idea of spending $500,000 (from who knows where) on a turf field for South Point high school?
http://www.charlotte.com/gaston/story/433867.html
With all the high-end development going on in the South Point area, it boggles my mind that we can’t get or keep an upscale grocery in Belmont. We do our routine shopping at Bi-Lo but spend a significant chunk of our grocery budget getting extras at Lowe’s or Teeter in Gastonia or Fresh Market in Charlotte. I’d much rather save gas and keep my money in town.
Oh good night, not another one headed this way from McCroryland! Anywho….. I say bring back Jones’s – they had the best meat counter!
We are moving to Belmont in July from Charlotte. I would LOVE to have a Harris Teeter rather than a Food Lion…Thanks!!
Just for the record I love Food Lion too, (I”m an MVP there!) and I think their current location is much better than the new Belmont Town Center, which is very congested much of the time and not in a convenient location to most parts of town. They just need to remodel and stay put if you ask me. Oh yeah, they didn’t!
Fresh Market! Now you’re talkin’!
Good suggestion – thanks
Hi Frontporch, thanks for the cloud suggestion. Another simple suggestion that would really help improve the site is to consoidate the “links” under a button like “city Affairs”, but called “links”. Then use that space to expand the “recent posts”.
I really use the recent posts links you have to the right most, so if you would just add more of those and it would help me and maybe others, alot. What’s hard about using the cloud icons, is having to scroll down so far on the screen and then you start reading something and lose your place. The you get confused and post the wrong topic like a big dummie…
Seems to happening alot to me now that I getting older!
to Gtown girl – we had a Harris-Teeter. It was in Abbey Plaza where the Blacklion replica is now located.
They moved because it “wasn’t the market” they wanted to serve”, and the store was “too small” for their strategic plans.
Fresh Market, Whole Foods were contacted some time ago as well.
We like the set up. sorry that you find it difficult to view. Try clicking on the tag cloud topics for easier viewing or type in the search box.
We will look into making the format easier to navigate. Took us this long to get the courage to do this as a group in the first place.
My above post about Starbucks was intended for the Coffee discussion. Like I mentioned before, it’s very difficult to navigate between topics here on the front porch. Sorry for misplaced posts.
By the way I did contact Harris Teeter at the above website and here was their official response:
“Thank you for your email. We have not been given any information regarding a store in Belmont, however, we appreciate your interest. We will forward your comments to our Real Estate department.
Thanks for thinking of Harris Teeter.
Sincerely,
Harris Teeter Customer Relations”
Hopefully Rebecca, it will make a difference and we can get a little more variety in town!
Does anyone know the website for the developer of the “Belmont Town Center”? Thanks! I have been daydreaming of the day Belmont would have a Harris Teeter closer than Gastonia. This is just too disappointing!
I think the empty AW Shucks? building on Hwy273 beside Pizza Hut in Abbey Place Shopping Center would be the perfect location for a STARBUCKS!
froggie, why u hatin’ on food lion, the dude aint’ hatin’, jus pretend to be happy if’n you aint………..
You can contact Harris Teeter at:
https://www.harristeeter.com/default.aspx?pageId=25
I did. Hopefully it will make a difference!
Just another note, when developers use these bait and switch tatics, our town council should just say NO.
Just a note: The Mayor said he had been lobbying Harris Teeter to open a store there. I’d encourage residents who want a particular store to call that company’s headquarters — it can make a difference.
I would love to see a Whole Foods Market come to Belmont but I guess I’ll have to make the drive all the way to South Charlotte when the first one opens in Charlotte at the end of ’08.
You bring up a very good point Sasha. I reside very close to SPHS and you’re right, they’d basically be building a stadium parking lot for attendees of SP football games. Not like they don’t need one though. I guess the ole feller that lives across the road from the tennis courts won’t be able to charge $5 to park in his yard anymore.
To hear about this talk of the proposed Harris Teeter being switched to Food Lion makes no sense at all to me. There is a Food Lion less than two miles from this proposed location we are talking about! WHY ANOTHER FOOD LION???? You might remember Belmont did enjoy a Harris Teeter years ago next to Roses. That was a horrible location having to parking on the side of that cliff. The return of Harris Teeter to Belmont would probably be well-received, a Food Lion definitely would not. Personally, I favor neither but that’s the most unlikely option it appears.
There used to be a Harris Teeter in Belmont, in the Abbey Plaza Shopping Center. Generally supermarkets chains close a store because it didn’t make enough money. A developer can’t make Harris Teeter come in if they don’t want to or if HT doesn’t feel that placing one of their stores in a certain location is a good fit for their business plan.
FoodLion??? We already have a FoodLion in Belmont. I love FoodLion for everyday staple foods, but PLEASE give us Harris Teeter or Lowe’s Food for meats, veggies, and speciality items. We need variety, not another big empty box beside NAPA that will soon be rented to DEEP DISCOUNTS.
Why is the Mayor NOt lobbing for what the surrounding neighborhood wants?? Isn’t that why we elect public officials, to represent us and look out for us.
These developers come to Belmont promising us Harris Teeter to get the project approved then give us FOOD LION and keep on building. In my opiinon that developer should be halted until he keeps his promise. How about some accountability people?
Food Lion? We already have a Food Lion in Belmont. What will it take to get a Harris Teeter or Lowes?
Someone needs to ask the developers this question – Are they going to tell the future store tenants that their parking lots are going to be full of cars owned by game attenders and not shoppers on Friday nights during football season? If not forewarned, the tenants are going to raise H-E-double toothpicks. I don’t care how many signs are posted stating that parking is for shoppers/illegally parked cars will be towed/or whatever prohibition, people are going to park there. There are not enough tow trucks to tow or cops to write tickets in Belmont to stop that from happening.
I haven’t been that way in several years, so I don’t know the road situation. I would think, thowever, that the South Point Road would need to be widened to at least 3 lanes , possibly 4, near the school to accommodate all of the development. That intersection at SP Road and RL Stowe was a busy one 26 years ago when I lived there.
As for the Food Lion/Harris Teeter controversy – those opposed to a Food Lion probably hate to be reminded that Belmont has traditionally been a blue-collar town and not Weddington. But it really doesn’t matter, the parking lot is going to be full of those blue collar workers coming to see the football game on Friday night.