Community Faces Uncertainty as I-77 Expansion Plans Threaten Homes
Residents of West Charlotte are expressing their concerns as their homes and local parks face potential demolition due to the proposed expansion of toll lanes on Interstate 77 South. With the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) pausing the project for three months to seek further community input, locals remain anxious about whether their feedback will make a difference.
The Wilmore neighborhood, where Corey Wilmore calls home, sits just beyond a thin barrier of trees from the bustling I-77. On a recent afternoon, Wilmore reflected on the neighborhood’s evolution, noting both new mansions and the potential for drastic change.
“These people just built that. They built that big, crazy house,” Wilmore shared. “And they’re talking about taking some of these streets off. Taking the whole street out.”
The area has seen a shift, becoming wealthier and more diverse over the years. Wilmore, who grew up in the neighborhood, lives with his mother in a two-story house surrounded by both old and new homes. The threat of demolition for the planned toll lanes looms over nearly every house on their street, as well as the local park.
Wilmore’s mother, recently retired, is not pleased. “She’s not happy about it. But she’s preparing for it in the best way she can,” Wilmore said. “Whether she should sell or hold out, or whatever the case is. Me personally, I say hold out till the last minute.”
Jack Williams, a nearby resident, shares the community’s apprehension and is actively informing neighbors about the potential impacts. “I think if this is going to be the major highway expansion that this region will see in the next 50 years, we should do this right,” Williams stated. “We should do it thoughtfully with public engagement, ideas, and counter ideas.”
The expansion plans, which have been under consideration since 2014, caught residents by surprise when they learned last year that their properties might be affected. While some officials argue the project is too advanced to halt, the NCDOT has paused it to collect more input from the community.
Shauna Bell, a resident of the historically Black McCrorey Heights neighborhood, highlighted concerns about communication from the state. She recounted a neighborhood meeting where officials denied that homes would be bulldozed, only for residents to later discover plans indicating otherwise.
“You know what the maps say, so to sit there and not let people know that their homes are going to be taken and to let somebody find out from looking at maps or either going to a community engagement meeting and seeing maps blown up, and an interstate coming through your home is just disrespectful,” Bell expressed.
While the state prefers an alternative that preserves homes in McCrorey Heights by constructing elevated toll lanes, this option may still impact portions of Frazier Park. Bell noted that the situation evokes painful memories of the past, when the original I-77 construction displaced parts of Black neighborhoods in the 1960s.
In a statement, the NCDOT assured they are still refining the designs and have established a community engagement center to gather resident feedback. City council member Joi Mayo, who represents the neighborhood, emphasized the importance of minimizing community impact while considering the benefits of the project.
“If this project moves forward, how do we minimize impact to communities?” Mayo questioned. “How do we ensure that there are benefits to the community as well?”
Chandler Wrenn, another resident, underscored the need for improved communication from authorities. “For the taxpayers and homeowners, it’s more communication directly with us,” Wrenn said. “Because we will see news articles and all kinds of things, but we don’t really know what to expect.”
As the NCDOT continues to gather public input until June, residents like Wrenn are left in a state of uncertainty, unsure if their homes will withstand the changes or fall to the demands of progress.
