Empty lot is only sign of Ballantyne developer

South Charlotte residents are upset about a 6-acre square of dirt along Ballantyne Commons Parkway and next to their neighborhood.

The developer, LightWay Properties, planned to build offices and maybe a bank there, something that fit in with the shopping centers nearby. But that has not happened. Crews clear cut the site. Then they left it. Years went by. Neighbors hired lawyers and wrote letters. WSOC found one to the mayor recently, calling the land a "major eyesore" and upset about property values, children who may get hurt, and trash.

Breck Bolton grew up there, in the Berkeley neighborhood. He remembers looking out his backyard and seeing trees. Now he sees the open space, what he calls a "blob of land" and so do all of the people constantly driving by.

He said, "You know, it's frustrating. We'd like the developer to make a move."

So WSOC called the marketing agency tied to the site. It didn't have an update on the project. WSOC wanted to drop by LightWay's office, but its address is the dirt square. The company's phone number is out of service.

Neighbors want LightWay to plant trees along the perimeter to hide the eyesore. But Mark Evans just wants to make sure, if the company does that, it doesn't forget to do the rest. He's afraid "they'll just take credit for covering the hole and that will be that."

Bolton says, in all fairness, LightWay did build a high-quality brick wall to cut down the noise and put in security cameras. But he still wants a more permanent fix.