Statesville Road runs north-south along the bottom of this map

Dec. 11. By Dave Yochum. A Cornelius firefighter hopes to build “barn-dominiums” and flex warehouse space for entrepreneurs on 13 acres of land he owns on Statesville Road/Hwy. 21 a quarter mile north of Westmoreland.

The barbell-shaped property contains his home, said Matt Greco, who lives there with his wife and young son.

The plan has been submitted to the town and will likely go before the town’s Pre-Development Review Committee early next year.

He would convert his existing house into office space near the center of the project, which is virtually invisible from Statesville Road. It’s buffered by trees adjoining the Weatherstone neighborhood.

Rezoning required

Matt Greco

Greco, 37, will ask the town to rezone the property from residential to commercial.

Woodbine Design, a civil engineering and land-planning firm based in Cornelius, laid out the project which calls for 13 barn-dominiums suitable for second homes and man-caves for high net worth individuals who have boats and tour buses.

Greco said there’s a healthy market for such accommodations—a similar project on Brawley School Road in Moorersville sold out at more than $1 million per unit.

His plan also calls for seven flex space buildings with roll-up doors suitable for local contractors, marine businesses in particular. Boat businesses say their days on West Catawba are numbered as new development—multi-family and retail—takes over.

Floorplans range from about 2,000 square feet up to about 12,000 square feet.