Farmland ripe for new development
Proposed Cornelius Commerce Center on Bailey Road near Hwy. 115 intersection
DEVELOPMENT | By Dave Vieser
June 7. A bucolic piece of farmland on Bailey Road, which represents the once rural side of Cornelius, has been targeted for a zoning change, which would permit the construction of a five-building, 203,000 square foot commercial center. However, nearby residents have raised concerns about the proposal, to the extent that at least one Town Board Member has voiced his opposition to the plan. Moreover, efforts by the developer to expedite rezoning have been put on hold – at least temporarily – by the town planning department.
About the property
Commerce Center property outlined in red
According to county tax records, the vacant property, which dates back to the old Potts Plantation, is owned by Eugene Hunter, a descendant. It is assessed at $2.9 million.
Several other vacant parcels have been rezoned in recent years, including Sefton Park (330 apartments and a hotel/conference center), Mayes Meadows (160 single family lots) and Greenway Gartens (the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery project with 346 multi-family units).
About the proposal
Charlotte-based GGW Flex Holdings is seeking to amend the rural preservation zoning on the acreage on the north side of Bailey Road just east of Hwy. 115. The property is located across from the entrance to Bailey Road Park, and close to a well-known low spot in the state-maintained road. The proposed 203,000 square foot “Cornelius Commerce Center” would have frequent truck deliveries which would have to negotiate the downslope near the site, further complicating traffic issues as the road approaches the Hwy.115 intersection.
Bailey Road already carries a significant volume of traffic to area schools, as well as traffic to a new Publix recently opened across the town line in Huntersville.
The planned straightening of Bailey Road is a mile west of the property.
None of this has been lost on area residents
Bailey’s Glen resident Suzanne Fulton said people there are concerned about safety. “The proposed commercial development is not well suited for this section of Bailey Road, a road that the NCDOT is unlikely to widen,” she said.
Meanwhile Town Commissioner Denis Bilodeau has already told the developers that he cannot support the project. ”In my opinion the overwhelming feedback from citizens is that this project is not a good fit at this time. “
Planning board says ‘slow down’
As the project worked its way through the town’s lengthy approval process, it was scheduled for review at the May 8 Planning Board meeting. Despite a last-minute change in their site plan, attorney Susan Irvin and the developers were hoping to get a positive recommendation so that the required Town Board public hearing could occur on June 5.
However, members of the planning board said they were not ready to vote on the project at their May 8 meeting, pushing back their review to June 12. One issue which caused concern among residents and planning
board members alike was the required Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) which did not appear to take into account weekend school activities nor the recent Publix opening. Even if a positive recommendation is reached in June, the earliest date for a town board public hearing would appear to be July 17 since there is only one board meeting in July.
• The Planning Board Meeting is at 6:30 pm Monday June 12 at Town Hall on Catawba Avenue.
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I have never understood how our country would outsource our agriculture to China. Other than lining government officials pockets.
We have plenty of farmland in the US and now it is all being bought up and sold for developments. Even if one doesn’t want to sell their property, emminent domain or re-zoning happens and owners have no choice.
I also realize that heirs do not always want to farm the land so they just sell. And those actions have contributed to the over development we are seeing today, not just here, but everywhere.
Imagine a government that encouraged and rewarded farms for growing local produce that is not GMO and full of cancer causing chemicals from spraying.
Not to mention that China and Bill Gates have been allowed to buy up our farmland at prices so high that the local farmers who would buy the land on auction would and can, but not at the prices these conglomerates bid.
I hope one day that our country will get back to farming in the US and “made in the US.” One can only hope. But it certainly feels like the train has left the track.
And finally, we do all have a part to play in all of this. Consider these things when you vote and hold town and local officials accountable.
Totally agree! Food is a valuable resource and here we are selling farmland at an alarming rate. Guess the developers buying it or Towns don’t care where the food comes from or short supplies in future.
Totally agree! Food is a valuable resource and here we are selling farmland at an alarming rate. Guess the developers buying it or Towns don’t care where the food comes from or short supplies in future.
Well said. I am so tired of seeing every inch of land covered up with buildings, concrete and blacktop. This contributes to destroying the environment. There are way too many empty buildings in the Charlotte area and across America creating eyesores that should be repurposed or removed and new built there instead of continuing to cover up all the land.
People need to realize that Charlotte is booming. This land is 20 miles from city center – that is NOT far out at all and no one in their right mind think that this will be farmland in the near future.
What does need to be done is be smart about what will go there. Putting a business park across from the School complex is dumb.
This is not smart on our part to allow Farmland to be developed. Obviously farming is important…outsourcing our food to China and other countries is really going to bite us later. Who knows what questionable chemicals, etc will end up in our food supply: they alreaddy have lead in kids toys. When we end up with food shortages, chemicals in food, higher cancer rates….we are going to wish we kept local farming in NC and US. But no .all these developers buying up farmland and govt do not think about that basic resource….
What the town truly needs to do is take a pause from new construction of any kind until they can address the infrastructure problem. They should take a year to develop a plan that would allow for the excessive growth they want to approve, then a few years implementing those plans, and then start approving more projects. 10+ minutes of traffic almost any time of day on Catawba is unacceptable. The divergent diamond was only one step in the initial plan.
Take a breath, evaluate, but the infrastructure we need in place and then continue.