Huntersville’s Town Board on Monday voted down a rezoning request that would have allowed Carolinas HealthCare System to build a mental health hospital on N.C. 115. Our news partner WFAE-FM reports Huntersville commissioners voted 4-2 against the request amid opposition from neighbors. See more in HEALTH & FITNESS

A Washington State developer is moving ahead with plans for a four-story, 120-unit retirement housing complex off I-77 Exit 30. Representatives of Hawthorn Retirement Group of Vancouver, Wash., were at a joint meeting of the Davidson Town and Planning boards Monday night, where they heard a variety of concerns, about everything from parking to possible tree removal to the amount of public open space. Read more in REAL ESTATE & HOME»

Davidson’s Town Board has meetings Monday and Tuesday nights this week, in part to look at planning issues. On Monday night, the commissioners hold a joint session with the Planning Board to review a proposal for a multistory retirement housing project off I-77 Exit 30. Then on Tuesday, it’s the board’s monthly work session, with presentations about the downtown rail station area plan and town Economic Development Strategic Plan. Read the full story

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

CHARLOTTE - The Red Line Task Force is looking to extend the deadline it set for reviewing plans for a commuter rail line north of Charlotte to give local governments, the state, Charlotte Area Transit System and Norfolk Southern Corp. more time to analyze financial and operational assumptions.

The task force had hoped to get feedback from the seven local governments along the line, CATS and the N.C. Department of Transportation by the end of March. The plan then would be revised and sent to back local governments for approval in June. But recent feedback from Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the tracks between Charlotte and Mooresville, has thrown a wrench in the original plans. Read the full story

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s top official working on the Red Line Regional Rail Project has sent a written response to Norfolk Southern Corp. welcoming the company’s “active role” in the project and requesting a meeting where Red Line Task Force and railroad officials can “share new information” that will help planning the project. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS and CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

Updated 5:18 p.m.
Norfolk Southern Corp. has taken another big swipe at the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project, saying in a letter to the N.C. Department of Transportation Tuesday that while the company “stands ready to study” the project, it believes the current plan to bring commuter rail to the Lake Norman area is “fatally flawed” and based on outdated assumptions. Read the full story

When completed in 2014, the project will link I-77 north of Charlotte with I-85 northeast of Charlotte. (NC DOT map)

By JULIE ROSE
WFAE

Construction crews are well on the way to completing one of the most long-awaited road projects in the Charlotte-region. By the end of 2014, I-485 will finally offer drivers a continuous loop around Mecklenburg County. Read the full story

Speakers at a public hearing last Tuesday, Feb. 14, offered support for designating the former Davidson IB School on South Street as a historic landmark. Supporters included both the property owner, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, and its current tenant, Lake Norman Christian School. See the full story in REAL ESTATE & HOME»

Also on Real Estate & Home today, the latest Davidson and Cornelius home sales. And Teal Michel’s Interior Design column, with a focus on the color green.