Charlotte Water said it has canceled a developer’s decision to cut off water service to some living in the city’s Hidden Valley neighborhood.
Residents voiced their concerns to Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura on Wednesday. They said the developer’s decision would have forced them out of their homes starting next Monday.
César Concepción said he received a letter last week from developer Northway Homes regarding improved water infrastructure.
“I was confused. Like is this coming from the city directly?” Concepción said.
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The letter stated that neighbors have to be out of their homes for a least 10 days, all because of planned construction on a now vacant lot. The notice goes on to say Northway Homes will pay each homeowner $2,000 for what they are calling an “inconvenience.”
Residents said the notice raised concerns because there are no clear instructions on when or how the affected families would receive the money.
“Nowhere on the letter do they have a point of contact, they do not have an address,” Concepción said.
Concepción went on to tell Channel 9 that this “inconvenience” couldn’t have come at a worse time, as he is recovering from pneumonia, working from home, and taking care of his 3-year-old son.
“It doesn’t feel fair for us you know to go through that,” Concepción explained.
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Neighbors said they were mainly frustrated by the lack of communication. At first, they had not received notice from the City of Charlotte, which made planning for a major disruption even more difficult.
“It’s kind of complicated, you know, to make arrangements and find where will you stay,” Concepción said.
However, when Channel 9 reached out to Charlotte Water about the decision, they replied with a strongly-worded statement. A spokesperson for the utility company said Northway Homes made the decision to interrupt service without following the proper protocols.
“Charlotte Water does not agree with and will not allow an outage of this magnitude,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said they have reached out to the developer in hopes of discussing an alternative process and preventing the upcoming outage. Charlotte Water has also gone door-to-door to talk to residents and explain the situation, saying the outage is canceled and apologizing for what happened.
Those who live in the community said they weren’t totally surprised at the developer’s notice to evacuate given the growth in the area. They just hope the city can make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Read the complete statement from Charlotte Water below:
“Charlotte Water learned today that a developer working in the Hidden Valley neighborhood recently sent residents of the 1200 block of Log Cabin Road a project notice. The notice described an upcoming multi-day water service disruption while the developer could make a connection to the existing system.
“The developer made a process decision without following Charlotte Water protocols. Charlotte Water does not agree with and will not allow an outage of this magnitude. Staff have since contacted the developer to cancel the upcoming service outage, discuss an alternative connection process and be reminded of proper protocols for notifications and planned service outages.
“In addition, Charlotte Water staff have gone door-to-door today to speak with the residents who received the outage letter from the developer. Staff have discussed the situation with the residents or left a door hanger behind to explain that the outage is cancelled and apologize for any confusion.”
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