Lake Norman waterfront community wants public banned from its shoreline, despite rules

The Charlotte office of a national developer wants to keep the public from the shoreline of its planned Lake Norman waterfront community in Mooresville, despite the town ordinance that allows it, documents show.

Lake Norman waterfront developments must make at least 50% of their shoreline available to everyone, according to Mooresville zoning rules. That can include docks, boat ramps, kayak/canoe launches, swim beaches, fishing areas and overlooks.

For decades, the public has clamored for more public access to North Carolina’s largest human-made lake, known as much for its multi-million-dollar private waterfront estates as its public boating, fishing, swimming and hiking opportunities.

This Monday, at the Mooresville Board of Adjustment meeting, Mattamy Homes is scheduled to seek an exemption to the public shoreline access rule for its planned Cascadia at Langtree community of 87 single-family homes.

Mattamy Homes is North America’s largest privately owned home builder , according to its website. The builder has opened or is near finishing 13 Charlotte-area subdivisions , including in Charlotte, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Mint Hill and Monroe.

A “small portion” of the Mooresville project would front the lake, Ricky Cypher, a Mooresville planner, told the board in a memo reviewed by The Charlotte Observer.

The board can exempt a land owner from the 50% requirement who shows the mandate would create “an undue and unique hardship” “beyond the landowner’s control,” according to the town public shoreline access ordinance.

The site’s topography “does not accommodate physical waterfront access,” according to the developer’s application for the exemption. “However, if open to the public, (people) may attempt such unsafe access.”

The 0.55 acres of shoreline open space on the property is an overlook with no “physical access to Lake Norman,” according to the application.

Jerry Whelan is listed as the Mattamy Homes contact for the project. Whelan told the Observer on Friday that he forwarded the newspaper’s request for comment to company officials who handle media inquiries.

Mattamy Homes also is seeking a rezoning for the project and wants Mooresville to annex the property, which is in Iredell County just outside the town limits. No dates have been scheduled for the Mooresville Board of Commissioners to consider the requests.

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