If you drove west on Independence Boulevard a week ago, you might have noticed a Charlotte FC billboard flash by. Now, the advertising company that owns the sign has cut down the trees in front of it to make the sicb more visible, and local business owners are paying for the extra visibility.
Adams Outdoor Advertising continued clearing trees along Independence Boulevard in Plaza Midwood on Tuesday.
Undercurrent Coffee owner Todd Hubber said he was given no notice before the removal started Monday. He was initially drawn to the tree-lined area's beauty — and insulation from the roar of traffic — when he signed a 15-year lease on Commonwealth Avenue. Now, he has a clear view of the highway.
“Of course, there's a concern that it could impact business,” Hubber said. “For small business owners especially, we've put our entire lives into this, not just emotionally but financially.”
A 2024 state law allows billboard companies to selectively remove 500 feet of vegetation along the state’s right-of-way. Adams Outdoor Advertising received a permit for the Plaza Midwood project, but when WFAE called the contact phone number, the station was told we had the wrong number.
Shannon Binns, executive director of nonprofit Sustain Charlotte, said he confronted company representatives on-site Monday about their plans for the site.
“I think that they should replant native vegetation that doesn't grow as tall as the pines, so that it doesn't obstruct their billboard,” Binns said.
Adams Outdoor Advertising declined to comment. A Charlotte FC spokesperson said the franchise was unaware of the tree clearing.
Hubber and Clifton Castelloe, owners of Moxie Mercantile and board members with Plaza Midwood Merchants Association, said they were open to a compromise that restored some of the forested buffer. Neither opposed new development in the neighborhood, but Castelloe said this wasn’t “thoughtful development.”
“In Plaza Midwood, we've forgotten that Independence Boulevard was right here because you couldn't really hear it, you couldn't really see it,” Castelloe said. Now, he said he could clearly hear and see the traffic.
“We were blindsided, and it just feels negligent,” Castelloe said.
