Aug. 28. By Dave Vieser. A somewhat unusual rezoning request is on the Cornelius Town Board agenda the Tuesday after Labor Day. Specifically, town commissioners are being asked to approve conditional zoning for a 3/4 acre plot on the south side of Catawba Avenue west of the Cain Center which currently contains three vintage homes.

The current zoning is neighborhood mixed use/transitional residential overlay; the Cain Center desires to use the property for civic uses, including a ceramic studio.

The unusual aspect of the request is two-fold:

—The rezoning was accelerated from the usual town hearing date requirements

—The center currently has no plans to use one of the homes they are planning to purchase.

At the August Planning Board Meeting, Planning Commissioner Colin Furcht questioned attorney Susan Irvin about the planned usage of the property.

Furcht: “So the Cain Center is going to own that third lot/home and be a landlord until such time a decision is made what to do with it?”

Irvin: “That is correct. We were not originally intending to buy that lot. That was something that the seller requested . It wasn’t on our original scope. We don’t have any plans for it. We certainly don’t intend to tear the house down.”

Furcht: “It just seems odd that you would buy the property and manage it. Still, it’s not a deal breaker as far as I am concerned but it does seem a bit unusual.”

Ultimately the Planning Board approved the rezoning unanimously sending it to the Town Board for the September 3 hearing.

The Board meeting will take place on Tuesday September 3 at Town Hall on Catawba Avenue beginning at 6 pm (one day late due to Labor Day Holiday). It will also be live streamed via www.cornelius.org or facebook.