Bridging Boundaries: Delivering Aria at Idlewild Across Two Jurisdictions 

Aria Development Group strives to enrich lives and create value for residents, partners, and local stakeholders by developing and managing high-quality, accessible living spaces that strengthen the communities they serve. 

In the growing Stallings/Matthews area of Charlotte, NC, Aria identified an opportunity to transform approximately 50 acres — formerly a mix of residential lots, single-family homes, and undeveloped land — into a vibrant new community that would offer residents a unique experience, natural water features, and access to the Greenway system. 

Twice the Challenge: Coordinating Dual Entitlements

Delivering the six-building, 270-unit Aria at Idlewind community required navigating an unusually complex entitlement process. Because the site straddles both Stallings and Matthews jurisdictions, Bohler coordinated two simultaneous rezonings, aligning conditions and approvals across two municipalities and two NCDOT districts.  

Bohler coordinated public hearings for both towns on the same evening, which helped keep the project schedule on track by allowing both rezonings to move forward simultaneously. 

As part of this collaborative effort, the team worked closely with both towns to design a community that fits seamlessly within its surroundings. Along the single-family neighborhood interface, Bohler balanced development goals with context-sensitive design strategies, including reducing building heights to three stories, incorporating enhanced berming, and aligning a new public street to preserve privacy while improving emergency and service access. 

Aria at Idlewild stands out as one of the few multifamily communities approved by the Town of Stallings in recent years — an achievement that highlights the strength of the plan and the team’s success in aligning local objectives with a thoughtfully designed, urban-style residential program. 

Tackling Sewer Capacity Mid-Project

Midway through the entitlement and design process, the team faced additional hurdles brought on by pandemic-era shifts in development timing and regional infrastructure demands. Changes in sewer usage patterns altered utility allocations across the district, threatening to delay the project’s momentum. Through proactive coordination with utility providers and municipal staff, Bohler successfully re-secured critical sewer capacity — preserving both the development schedule and the project’s financial performance. 

Creating Connectivity

Beyond entitlements, Bohler delivered comprehensive survey support, site and civil engineering, and construction administration services. The team also designed multi-modal mobility improvements and regional greenway connections in collaboration with landscape architect PLAID Collaborative. The resulting greenway segments, constructed along the project’s edges, have since been extended by the Town, creating lasting community value by linking residents to nearby parks, trails, and daily amenities. 

Despite a series of uncommon challenges, from coordinating dual rezonings across two jurisdictions to navigating mid-project utility constraints, Aria at Idlewild stands as a clear example of how proactive collaboration and strategic problem-solving can unlock complex opportunities. By aligning stakeholders, maintaining momentum through uncertainty, and prioritizing context-sensitive design, Bohler helped transform potential obstacles into catalysts for innovation.