More apartments are going up in Derita. Will that lead to a local landmark coming down?

A developer is moving forward with plans to build a $19-million apartment complex where the historic Puckett’s Farm Equipment building now sits.

And the fate of the nearly century-old landmark in the Derita neighborhood is getting murkier. If certain state tax credits are awarded next month, developer NHE Inc. will then start the construction permitting process.

The company already filed a rezoning request last year with Charlotte officials to build a complex with 60 apartments for the 3.4 acre-site.

Puckett’s was long a hub of activity for the community in a familiar building that dates to the waning days of the Hoover administration in 1932. Earlier this year, neighbors expressed concerns online about losing the building. But business has declined over the years as Charlotte continues to grow, according to owner Gary Puckett.

The business is still open as a bar, but Puckett is planning to close the business in March 2025. It was on the market for seven years before NHE became interested.

“I’m ready to get out of the city of Charlotte,” Puckett told The Charlotte Observer this week. “I’m ready to get away from these high taxes. It’s a shame things have got the way they are, but hey, it is what it is.”

NHE’s plans for Derita

NHE, a Greenville, S.C.-based company, is planning to add affordable housing for people making 30% to 70% of the area’s median income, which is a little over $74,000 according to U.S. Census Bureau data . NHE development manager Joseph Kass said the income for applicants may range from $21,000 to $77,000, based on household size.

A portion of the funding is coming from the Charlotte Housing Trust Fund , which is loaning $2.6 million for the project. NHE is also waiting for the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to announce awards for tax credits. A decision may be made in August, according to Kass.

If approval comes from the state’s financing agency, NHE will submit permits later this year for construction to start in early 2025. It will take about a year-and-a-half to build the apartments.

The Puckett building is on the southeast corner intersection of Mallard Creek and West Sugar Creek roads. NHE wants the area to feel like a small town intersection. New trees will be added to the streets.

“We hope to add a lot of visual appeal, walkability and lots of greenery and plants,” Kass said. “We’re excited to bring some residential options to give that area of Derita a downtown feel.”

Will historic building be saved?

Located at 2740 W. Sugar Creek Road, the Puckett business was established in 1932 to provide services to farmers.

After Prohibition ended, owner Ralph Puckett started selling beer there too. Third-generation owner Gary Puckett added events with country, bluegrass and rock music. Puckett tried to keep the business open, but it’s no longer viable since Derita isn’t a rural community anymore, The Charlotte Observer previously reported .

At this point, NHE is looking at options to save the building or trying to find out if it’s worth the money to include it in design plans.

“We know it has history,” Kass said. “We’d like to find ways to have a nod to the past, while obviously creating something new that serves the current community needs.”

Although, NHE thinks a small commercial building is not the best use and outlived its purpose, the firm is looking at the facade and what it can do with the property.

“We don’t know quite yet,” he said. “It’ll be another couple of months, I think, before we really know what we can and can’t do in terms of that building.”

Theresa McDonald, a member of the Derita Statesville Road Community Organization board, said people had mixed feelings about the project, with some wanting to save the building and others in support of affordable housing.

McDonald is sad about losing a community gathering place because of the market and city zoning conditions, but she’s satisfied with NHE’s work with housing developments.

“I am optimistic that a new building with beautiful landscaping and improved sidewalks, et cetera. will bring a positive change even if it’s not everything we dreamed of,” McDonald said. “Having residential units and people living in downtown Derita is also a huge positive that will bring more good things in the future.”

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