Neighbors, businesses cry foul over trees removed near Independence Boulevard billboard

CHARLOTTE — Chopper 9 Skyzoom captured crews clearing a section of trees between Plaza Midwood and Independence Boulevard. The goal is to improve visibility for a billboard along the highway, but business owners say they had no chance to weigh in.

A block away from his business, the owner of Undercurrent Coffee, Todd Hubber, got an unwanted surprise this week.

“When I got here, I started to get almost emotional just seeing what was happening,” Hubber told Channel 9 Climate Reporter Michelle Alfini.

“Yesterday, this was a beautiful wall of pine trees and vegetative foliage,” Hubber said.

Now his patio has a front row seat to the sights and sounds of Independence Boulevard.

“All the noise pollution, the sight pollution, the loss of trees, the erosion in between the highway and the landscape,” Hubber said.

All of this is for a sign near the highway. In accordance with a 2024 law, Adams Outdoor Advertising got approval from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to clear a 500-foot view zone around their billboard.

This allows them to remove nearly all the vegetation in that area of the highway.

“I had no clue,” Hubber said.

We asked Adams Outdoor to address some of the neighborhood concerns. They sent us a permit from NCDOT which shows us that they are authorized to do this clearing, but what it doesn’t tell us is whether they had to notify any of the businesses or locals nearby.

“I think it’s a good example of when we weaken laws that are meant to protect people, protect neighborhoods, there are negative impacts of that,” said Shannon Binns with Sustain Charlotte.

Shannon Binns with Sustain Charlotte says regardless of what was legal, taking out these trees was a choice. He’s calling on the company to work with neighbors to create a plan to slow down the clearing or replant shorter trees or vegetation.

“It’s the taller mature pines that are in their way,” Binns said.

Meanwhile, Hubber wants to know why no one involved with the project seems to have considered the impact of this change on his neighborhood.

“For the benefit of a very small piece of one business, the entirety of so many other businesses are being forsaken,” Hubber said.

We asked NCDOT if there were any plans to replant part of the vegetation buffer while maintaining the billboard’s view.

A spokeswoman told us state law does not allow the agency to use highway funds for that purpose.

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