Jan. 16. [Opinion] The pending rezoning application for Birkdale Village is nothing new and should be rejected out-of-hand for the same principal reason it was rejected in 2023.

In 2023, when this plan was first proposed, the Huntersville Planning Board, the Planning Department and the Town Commissioners all denied the rezoning application because it did not conform to the 2040 plan.

This current application is essentially identical to the 2023 application but is actually worse since it now takes over an existing parking lot to build a hotel. The 2040 plan remains unchanged.

All of the current commissioners were elected after endorsing the 2040 plan.

Therefore, denying the current rezoning application should be an easy decision.

—Merlin Villar, Birkdale