Valvoline starts Plaza Midwood construction despite resident opposition, stalled rezoning

CHARLOTTE — An oil change facility is coming to a prime spot of land near Plaza Midwood despite resident opposition and a stalled rezoning petition.

Valvoline broke ground on its new oil change facility off the Plaza near Matheson Avenue. When originally proposed in 2024, neighborhood groups opposed it.

A rezoning petition filed with the Charlotte City Council didn’t gain much traction. Opponents of the business argued that the area is already saturated with car-centric businesses.

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This part of The Plaza has recently been booming with new restaurants and businesses.

Despite the opposition, the company was able to break ground and build the facility anyway due to a change in city policy.

In June 2024, the Charlotte City Council passed a text amendment to the UDO.

Among other changes, the Charlotte City Council removed the conditional rezoning requirement for vehicle repair facilities, under which this use would be considered.

The city said there were concerns raised about requiring the additional step of a conditional rezoning for a use that was allowed in the CG district.

This created potential challenges for compliance with state statutes under 160d, which provides planning legislation across the state.

Plans for the Valvoline were officially approved by the city’s land development review team on June 27. A Charlotte City Council vote was not necessary.

While Charlotte City Council’s policy change paved the way for this new car-focused business, it’s at odds with and conflicts with the council’s other vote to reduce the lanes and add bike lanes to the adjacent Matheson Avenue.

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