CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Residents of the Oakhurst community in Charlotte say their neighborhood is changing quickly.
The neighborhood, just south of Uptown Charlotte, is a rapidly growing residential community, with new townhome developments and homes priced in the high six figures, popping up across the area.
The area is also set to get a facelift from the government, with a new streetscape plan being implemented along the area’s main thoroughfare, Monroe Road.
What You Need To Know
Oakhurst, a neighborhood in Charlotte, continues to grow
Two townhome communities, as well as new homes, are popping up across the area
The area is also receiving attention from the government, with new streetscape and public transit options in the works
Not to mention, a long discussed expansion to the city’s light rail line would bring a major connective public transportation option running parallel to Independence Boulevard.
Liz Millsaps Haigler was born and raised in Charlotte. She and her husband moved back to his family home, and the Oakhurst neighborhood, in 2013.
“It was a dying neighborhood, between the crash, the houses got old, the people got old and moved away, there were maybe two children in the neighborhood,” Haigler said about Oakhurst, looking back at the time.
Now, it’s all changing. Across the street from Millsaps Haigler’s home on Commonwealth Avenue are newly renovated or constructed homes selling in the high six figures, or for more than a million dollars.
“We know there’s going to be change, we know there’s going to be more density. The goal is to have it benefit the neighborhood and make it a better place to live,” Millsaps Haigler said.
On her kitchen table, you could track the changes to Oakhurst dating back several years, if not decades. Millsaps Haigler could walk you through development plans, city maps and developer presentations dating back years.
“The growth has been so fast, I know people are upset there wasn’t more, “planning,” so to speak, but how do you plan for growth that fast?” Millsaps Haigler asked.
As Charlotte becomes one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Oakhurst and the north Monroe Road corridor are exploding. However, Millsaps Haigler said not all of it has been unwelcome or unpopular.
“We needed a coffee shop, we needed some things,” she said overlooking plans on her kitchen table.
But her concerns, and the concerns of other neighbors, have been with the responsible, planned growth of the area.
“We’ve got to preserve our air, our water, places for the wildlife,” Millsaps Haigler said, referencing two of Oakhurst’s last remaining wetlands.
Millsaps Haigler is taking the task head on, leading neighborhood boards, running for office, haggling with developers and doing what she can to encourage responsible growth.
“The people are coming, we’ve got a million people coming into the region in the next 20 years, so we’ve got to make space, and we have a housing shortage. Working with us made all the difference in how we feel about it,” she added, referencing local developers.
In 2023, the city plans to begin construction on the streetscape along Monroe Road in Oakhurst, from Wendover Road to Ross Moore Avenue and Eaton Road.
The project would add wider sidewalks, separating them from the road with greenery. Also, two townhome developments along the same stretch of road will add more than 180 homes.
She said private developers, for the most part, have done well to listen to the neighborhood and make changes.
“Several concessions were really wonderful, including green space across the street from the school. We’ve got to protect the kids,” Millsaps Haigler said while driving around Oakhurst showing the various projects under construction.
As she drove back to the family home, built in 1948 when Charlotte was no more than modern-day Uptown, she passes several new, pricey homes throughout the neighborhood.
“That doesn’t bother me so much, I like the fact we’re growing, because it’s definitely better than the alternative, than to be like a dying city,” she said simply.
One of her newest neighbors is Erika Aldag, who moved to Oakhurst two years ago with her husband.
“I think Oakhurst is in a great location of the city, it’s about five minutes to Uptown, you can get to all the neighborhoods, Plaza Midwood, NoDa in 10-15 minutes,” Aldag said.
Aldag, a transplant to Charlotte roughly three years, said she has seen a lot of growth in just two years in Oakhurst. She said it is largely welcome, as long as it remains responsible.
“I think we’re getting a couple new restaurants, hopefully there will be some new development as well, maybe a grocery store would be really nice to have as well,” Aldag added.
Overall, she hoped developers and community members work together to ensure Oakhurst keeps true to its namesake, and keeps some of its oak trees and other greenery, which is part of the charm of this rapidly changing neighborhood.