Mecklenburg County commissioners have approved a $12 million purchase of more than 55 acres at 400 Radio Road in northwest Charlotte, with plans to eventually build multiuse sports fields and mixed-income housing on the site. The vote happened last week, and county officials say the purchase passed almost unanimously, with one notable holdout.
According to Axios, commissioners approved the deal following a closed session, buying the property from Charlotte Broadcasting, LLC. A county spokesperson told the outlet that site plans have not yet been designed, that details remain scarce, and that there is no timeline for when fields or housing might actually break ground. The property sits near Sunset Hills Golf Course in northwest Charlotte.
Commissioner Elaine Powell cast the lone vote against the purchase. Her objection wasn't about the land itself or its intended use — it was about how the county is paying for it. Powell argued the funding method depletes dollars that would otherwise be available for acquiring other top-priority properties, per the same report.
Two Very Different Price Tags
County records appraised it at $3 million, while the county says an independent third-party appraisal put the value at $13.1 million — more than four times higher.
Half of the $12 million purchase price will be funded with Environmental Leadership Plan dollars, the county said, though the full breakdown of financing sources beyond that wasn't specified. A listing for the site on invest.jll.com, where Jones Lang LaSalle markets the property as Radio Road Residential, describes it as a residential development opportunity in Charlotte.
Rising Land Costs Squeeze County Priorities
The Radio Road purchase lands amid a broader squeeze on Mecklenburg County's land-buying power. The county acquired just 234 acres for almost $38 million in the most recent year covered by a report from WFAE, down sharply from roughly 552 acres for nearly $48 million two years earlier. The station reported that price per acre has nearly doubled as land costs have risen across the county.
County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell pointed to a $20 million reduction in land-acquisition funds as part of the explanation, WFAE reported. The county's parkland total also slipped to 18.77 acres per 1,000 residents, below its own goal of 23 acres per 1,000 residents, according to the same report — context that helps explain why Powell's objection to the funding approach carries weight among her colleagues.
Housing Need Looms Over the Deal
The mixed-income housing component of the Radio Road plan also arrives against a backdrop of steep local need. Mecklenburg County faces a deficit of 36,000 affordable housing units, according to The Charlotte Mercury, which also reported the county has invested $334.6 million in housing since 2018. Specifics on what income levels or affordability requirements would apply to any housing built on Radio Road have not been released.
The Mercury separately reported that commissioners in April authorized a $4.5 million purchase of the former Smith School, an 8.2-acre site on Tyvola Road, for future housing — a deal the outlet said was recorded as a unanimous vote and was contingent on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education approval. That purchase offers one point of comparison for how the county has approached smaller housing-focused land deals recently.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Recent Buys
Mecklenburg County's land purchases have varied widely in both price and purpose this year. In April, the county spent about $10 million to add roughly 30 acres beside Idlewild Road Park, according to prior Hoodline reporting. A rezoning proposal for part of that Margaret Wallace Road site had previously envisioned more than 100 townhomes, but Matthews town officials expected the county's acquisition to serve recreation and connectivity rather than housing.
Further back, The Charlotte Observer reported that commissioners in 2022 voted to buy four parcels totaling 35 acres along the Catawba River near Beagle Club Road for $3.6 million, or roughly $100,000 per acre, for the Park and Recreation department. That report noted the county was still in its due-diligence period and had not yet closed on the land at the time of publication. Near the Radio Road site itself, the JLL listing notes nearby residential activity, including Affinity at Oak Hills, a 128-unit community delivered in 2023 about five minutes away, and Oak Lake Townhomes, which was in lease-up around the same distance from the property.
