CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Water said it has reversed a developer’s decision to cut water service to some who live in the city’s Hidden Valley neighborhood.
Residents expressed their concerns to Channel Nine’s Anthony Costura on Wednesday. They said the developer’s decision would have forced them to leave their homes from next Monday.
Cesar Concepción said he received a letter last week from developer Northway Homes about improved water infrastructure.
“I was confused. Like is this coming straight from town?” Concepcion said.
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The letter stated that the neighbors had to be out of their homes for at least 10 days, all because construction was planned on a now vacant lot. The notice goes on to say that Northway Homes will pay each homeowner $2,000 for what they call an “inconvenience.”
Residents said the notice raised concerns because there were no clear instructions about when and how affected families would receive the money.
“Nowhere in the letter is there a point of contact, and they don’t have an address,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion went on to tell Channel 9 that this “inconvenience” couldn’t come at a worse time, as he is recovering from pneumonia, working from home, and taking care of his 3-year-old son.
“It’s not fair for us to go through this,” Concepcion explained.
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Neighbors said they were mainly frustrated by the lack of communication. At first, they did not receive notice from the city of Charlotte, which made it more difficult to plan for a major disruption.
“It’s kinda complicated,” Concepcion said, “you make the arrangements and find where you’re going to stay.”
However, when Channel Nine reached out to Charlotte Water about the decision, they responded with a strongly worded statement. A spokesperson for the utility company said Northway Homes made the decision to cut service without following proper protocols.
“Charlottewater 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 an upcoming outage. Charlotte Water also went door-to-door to talk to residents and explain the situation, saying the power outage had been canceled and apologizing for what happened.
Those who live in the community said they weren’t entirely surprised that the developer gave the eviction notice given the growth in the area. They just hope the city makes sure it doesn’t happen again.
Channel 9 has reached out to the developer for comment.
Read the full statement from Charlotte Water below:
Charlotte Water learned today that a developer working in the Hidden Valley neighborhood recently sent residents of the 1,200 block of Log Cabin Road a project notice. The notice described an upcoming disruption in water service for several days while the developer could make a connection to the existing system.
The developer made a decision about the operation without following the Charlottewater protocols. Charlottewater does not agree with and will not allow an outage of this magnitude. Staff has since contacted the developer to cancel the upcoming outage, discuss an alternative communication process, and remind them of the appropriate protocols for notifications and planned outages.
“In addition, Charlottewater staff today went door-to-door to speak with residents who received an outage letter from the developer. Staff discussed the situation with residents or left a door hanger behind to explain that the outage was cancelled, and to apologize for any confusion.”
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