Pittenger's land deals scrutinized

Getting the dirt out from under your fingernails can be hard:

Pittenger is a real estate investor who acquires properties, often in partnerships. In Gaston County, he has invested in land along the proposed parkway, a 22-mile toll road between western Mecklenburg and western Gaston counties. Pittenger has a reported stake in about 2,000 acres near four proposed exits.

Just to set Robert straight, when people said you need to "take ownership" of your service to the State, it was meant as a metaphor, not a shopping list. And for all you "anti-annexation" folks, this should curl your toes:

Also Monday, Pittenger released nearly decade-old letters from Waxhaw officials designed to ward off current criticism of a land deal there.

According to news reports, he helped push a bill in 2003 that allowed the town of Waxhaw to annex 557 acres. That allowed developers — who bought the land from Pittenger’s company — to build at least twice as many homes as they would otherwise have been allowed to.