QUESTION: What’s behind the sudden burst of activity on a long-vacant parcel off of St. Mark’s Church Road that backs up to Dick’s Sporting Goods?
ANSWER: Even observant readers may be forgiven if they were left scratching their heads by the recent goings-on at 1408 St. Mark’s Church Road, which overlooks a part of the Alamance Crossing shopping center that’s home to BJ’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Located at the juncture with Rural Retreat Road, this 6.5-acre parcel had initially been cleared of its tree cover in 2021 after developer Trey Riddle received the city’s blessing to build 205 apartments at this location.
City officials were originally quite stoked about Riddle’s plans because they made use of an as-yet untested zoning designation called a “planned development.” This land-use category, which debuted when the city released a new unified development ordinance in 2019, gives developers more latitude with certain development rules in exchange for various concessions to the city. In this case, Riddle had convinced the city’s leaders to ease up on the density requirements for multi-family housing by promising a wealth of amenities that included landscaping enhancements, on-site traffic improvements, and a walking path to Burlington’s Joe Davidson Park.
Riddle’s proposal went on to receive a unanimous nod from Burlington’s city council in the spring of 2021. The developer went on to clear the project’s proposed site, only to abandon his plans – to the ultimate chagrin of the city’s elected leaders.
[Story continues below photo of construction site.]
The site would remain in this transitional state until 2024 when Charlotte-based developer David Ransenberg decided to resurrect “the Willows at Burlington,” as Riddle had tentatively dubbed his proposed development. In order to make the project more economically viable, Ransenberg asked the city to increase the total unit count from 205 to 211 apartments – a request that the city council unanimously accepted when it took up the matter in November of 2024.
It wasn’t until September of this year that Ransenberg’s modified plans also received a green light from a staff-level technical review committee. Since then, other permits for this project have come hard and fast, allowing contractors to proceed with the plumbing and, most recently, the electrical work for “the Willows.”
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