At least 75 Huntersville residents filled Torrence Lytle Community Center on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to oppose a proposed 18-bay car wash and gas station next to their neighborhood.
Developer Jake Palillo of Bi-Part Development wants to rezone a 4.7-acre parcel at 16014 Statesville Road from neighborhood residential to highway commercial, conditional. The site sits south of Sam Furr Road and Interstate 77 exit 25, directly beside The Hamptons, a 335-home subdivision where houses range from $675,000 to over $1 million, the Charlotte Observer reported.
The project would include a 5,700-square-foot car wash tunnel, a 16,600-square-foot lube and detail shop, and a 6,400-square-foot convenience store with four gas pumps.
Neighbors line up against the plan
The hour-long meeting, a required step before the rezoning can advance, drew pointed opposition. Neighbors cited noise, light pollution, chemical runoff and groundwater contamination from gasoline as their chief concerns.
Letha Smith, a Davidson resident whose family has lived beside the project site since shortly after the Civil War, drew applause when she told Palillo: "You don't care what people want. They don't want a gas station."
The crowd cheered. Smith said more opponents would attend future hearings to ensure the proposal is defeated.
Neighbor Samantha Jackson asked Palillo whether he would want an 18-bay car wash behind his own house. Palillo responded that he lives in Huntersville.
Kelsey Huffman, a Hamptons resident, said she plans to urge town planners and elected officials to reject the rezoning. In a Sept. 28 interview with the Charlotte Observer, Huffman said no traffic impact analysis or noise study had been conducted for the project.
Palillo pitches mitigations
Palillo proposed a 20-foot buffer of evergreen and pine trees between the project and neighboring homes, along with a 12-foot sound barrier wall. He also agreed to pay for and install fencing for one neighbor who requested it.
He said the car wash would close around 7 p.m. and the convenience store by 8 or 10 p.m. He described the store as more of an "Italian-style deli market" and called the project a "community amenity" for residents needing a fill-up, a car wash or an interior detail.
On runoff concerns, Palillo said all water from the property would flow into the sewer system. He said underground fiberglass tanks holding gasoline are far less prone to leaking than the old metal tanks once common at gas stations.
Developer's track record
Palillo has faced public opposition on past Lake Norman projects. His $800 million Lagoona Bay development off I-77 exit 25, which called for a 40-acre resort with a 10-acre freshwater lagoon within a 270-acre residential development, was scrapped in 2023 after intense pushback. He also withdrew a similar $10 million automotive complex called the BoatYard in Cornelius after opposition.
His $20 million inn at Sam Furr and Mayes roads in Cornelius drew an angry crowd at its community meeting in April 2026 but won approval from Cornelius town commissioners in a split vote in August 2026.
What's next
The Huntersville rezoning case, designated R26-13, is listed as "In Review" on the town's rezoning page. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at Huntersville Town Hall, 14704 N. Old Statesville Road. The Planning Board is set to consider a recommendation at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, and the Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15.
