June 24. By Dave Vieser. The specific details about an early childcare center and preschool to be built on West Catawba at Edinburgh Square Drive will be unveiled on Wednesday June 26 starting at 6 pm at Cornelius Town Hall. First Hartford Realty Co. of Manchester, CT has applied to the town for a rezoning which would permit a Lightbridge Academy at that site.
Residents raised concerns.
“Try making a turn from Edinburgh Square Drive on to Catawba presently,” said Kenneth Schammel after reading about the project in Cornelius Today. “It is next to impossible now. What do you think it will be like with the heavy traffic in/out of a day care center.”
Similar concerns were voiced by Sandy Butterworth, an 18-year resident on Edinburgh Square.
“I am finding it increasingly more difficult to get onto West Catawba. It’s almost impossible to make a left turn any time of the day, and making a right turn typically depends on someone nice enough to let you in. More traffic from Edinburgh Square trying to get on West Catawba Avenue is ludicrous,” she said.
About the proposal
The 1.32 acre property is currently zoned village center, which would permit commercial/office buildings. Cornelius-based Irvin Law Firm is representing First Hartford Realty.
In their application to the town, Steve Irvin states that “the current zoning at that site would permit two commercial buildings with 93 parking spaces, while the school application calls for one building with 45 spaces.”
Next steps
The next step after the community meeting will be on Monday July 15 when the proposal is informally presented to the Town Board. No decisions will be made that evening, as it it must still go before the Planning Board, and then back to the Town Board for a final decision.
Comments from the public are permitted and encouraged at all of these meetings.
County tax records show the owner of the Lightbridge property to be “FC on WC LLC” with a Cornelius Post Office address. The assessed value is currently $833,000 with annual property taxes of $5,382.
The positives are it will only be an hour in the morning and an hour or so in the afternoon. It will be closed Holidays, nights and weekends when lake traffic can be really bad.
Based on traffic concerns, you would never approve anything for that lot. What can you build there that people won’t drive to get there?
There should already be no Left Turns allowed out of Edinburgh Sq. People should use the double lane at Westmoreland Lake.
Posted by John | June 24, 2024, 11:24 amThe Town of Cornelius will be gridlocked once Alexander Farms, the new apartment complex (to be located where the White House Market is), and the new Atrium Hospital are complete. Actually, it will only take one of these to open for gridlock! The Town is not keeping up with the infrastructure!!! PLEASE STOP THE INSANITY!!!
Posted by Becky Johnson | June 24, 2024, 11:41 amI totally agree! Our town commissioners have been irresponsible and ignored the concerns of constituents. Infrastructure should take precedence over any other town development. All they care about is profit, business, & promoting real estate business.
Posted by Karen Asche | June 24, 2024, 10:22 pmI feel this is just going to cause cars to line up into Edinburgh Square and Cloverstone Circle waiting to get in and out of the daycare. Parents will use the Westmoreland neighborhood as well to come and go to the daycare causing an increase in traffic. I really feel the developer and city need to do a full traffic analysis as cars will be backed up forever trying to get onto Catawba. The exit from the daycare is too close to Catawba so again cars will have to line up into the neighborhood to wait to get into the parking lot. There just isn’t a good traffic flow on the site plan.
Posted by Bob Tubbs | June 24, 2024, 1:16 pmA traffic light is not the answer either. The 3 cars turning left onto Catawba from Nance Rd at 5pm back traffic up enough. Catawba needs to be widen first before you build!
Posted by Marty | June 24, 2024, 3:27 pmThis could work out fine if Westmoreland Neighborhood will allow them to EXIT through Westmoreland. All I’ve heard is that Westmoreland doesn’t want them creating an exit there.
In my opinion that is the ONLY way to limit the traffic flow. The cars should enter at Edinburgh Square and another exit built to have the cars exit at Westmoreland.
Posted by Roseanne Sanders | June 26, 2024, 1:47 pmThere are other more sensible sites available, which can also be said regarding the hospital under construction. I know the town and county want the tax dollars, but good grief. As a native of many generations, my home has become overcrowded, overpriced and over-rated. I’m sorry to say that, but watching my home turning into this traffic-jammed nightmare is just too much sometimes. Indeed, the town has done a VERY poor job of managing growth (I wouldn’t call it managing really).
Posted by Vicki | June 26, 2024, 3:35 pm