Alexander Farm tenant house | Photo: Preserve Mecklenburg Inc.
Dec. 16. By Dave Yochum. It looks like work is coming to a halt at Alexander Farms, the mixed-use project at West Catawba and Westmoreland. Sources say a key investor passed away, leaving the developer up in the air.
Officials at WIN Development in Florida could not be reached for comment.
Lidl has pulled out of the $110 million-plus project as well, and the historic tenant house remains up in the air, literaally hoisted on a temporary platform erected two years ago.
Things haven’t gone as planned at the 55-acre mixed-use project which was already at least two years behind schedule.
Alexander Farms project has experienced delays
The tenant house
The Alexander Farm was the last working farm on the west side of I-77 in Cornelius. There are no official plans to save any of the buildings on the property until a last-minute effort to move a tenant farmer dwelling began three years ago.
There were hundreds of these tenant houses in Mecklenburg County a century ago but apparently the one on the Alexander Farm is the only one that remains.
Quotable
“It’s a mess,” one senior town official said.
Background
The property was farmed by the late Eugene Alexander, who was the last remaining farmer on the western side of Cornelius, until 2013. He died New Years Day 2014 at the age of 96.
McInerney
Back in March of this year Win Development executive Jesse McInerney said the first stores would open in the spring of 2025—two years later than originally planned.
Beside Lidl, the tenants secured by Win included Heartland Dental, Veterinary Emergency Clinic, Firehouse Subs, Caribou Coffee, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Papa John’s and Viva Nails
Rental houses for active adults in River Rock At Alexander Farms have been completed, but without walkable retail. Monthly rent prices are in the $3,000 range.
Seniors that rent the $3,000 range houses have to be rich. That does not include utilities. Bet they have slab (concrete) floors covered in tile and carpeting. Concrete is hard on old people’s legs and back. This project was not needed at the time it was approved or now. Developers come in cause more traffic and overcrowding of overcrowded schools take their bags of money and leave. When will the state change the laws that were carefully put in place to protect the developers’ bank accounts and make them pay for these added and necessary improvements.
Posted by Reta Berman | December 16, 2024, 11:49 amFar too much development & infrastructure thst is 50 years behind with local politicians getting compensated for allowing an unreputable company to build toll roads few people can afford. Enough!
Posted by Karen Asche | December 16, 2024, 12:45 pmAmen to that! When will the town leaders say “enough is enough.”
Posted by Ron | December 17, 2024, 1:46 pmToll road was a debacle and legal armed robbery of NC taxpayers from the start !! Just my 2 cents worth !
Posted by Sam | December 20, 2024, 11:17 amI am a senior citizen and would love to see more affordable housing for people in my age range.
It would be nice to have 2 bedroom home with
Family Room, Kitchen Dining area, and good sized pantry, mud room with washer dryer connection,
Coat Closet and bath with
walk-in tubs and separate shower. Closets with
larger storage, garage and fenced back yard for
those with small pets. Most importantly no
children living in the housing project. Family members with children could visit only.
Cornelius is a beautiful place to live and needs more
Family Country Style Restaurants, Krispy Kreme, Kentucky Fried chicken, Jack-in-the-Box.
This would be my wish for areas needing new development.
Thank you for letting me share.
Posted by Gail | December 18, 2024, 2:23 pmWe need more baseball fields in this area. Lake Norman Little League is the largest Little League in North Carolina. I invite those on the Cornelius board to check out the beautiful stadiums that Myers Park, Wilson, and Greenville have. They host the District, State and Regional Little League tournaments that bring in teams, families, hotels, and restaurant business. The amount of money that could be brought into the area with the restaurants going in as well is huge.
A walkable bridge could be built going up and over Westmoreland road.
I am quite certain if you partnered with Lake Norman Little League they would be on board to help get this off the ground.
Posted by S Best | December 16, 2024, 12:29 pmI agree with this
Posted by Scott | December 17, 2024, 8:19 pmBut do you want to live next to this little league field. Noise every weekend and many weeknights. Not great for the neighborhood. Maybe for development….. I don’t want the little league field next door broadcasted basically every night but have no choice living next to Westmorland.
Posted by Miller | December 18, 2024, 9:10 pmYou’d prefer living near the gross, eyesore shopping centers over a Greenspace park, though? They both bring noise, but we have learned to be deaf to one of those — but the idea of hearing recreational joy is what you oppose?
Posted by Anne | December 19, 2024, 10:05 amThe spirits of the tenant farmers can be heard laughing from Sam Furr all the way to downtown.
Posted by James Simpson | December 16, 2024, 1:15 pmIt is past time for the time to improve the permit process Timelines, penalties, escrow, enforcement. We create our own mess
Posted by Gar | December 17, 2024, 9:19 amTypical to scam off of seniors with a $3000 plus rent bill. This company should be put out of business. Seems shady to me. Lidl got wise and backed out. Good for them.
Posted by T | December 17, 2024, 9:28 amAnd I now have those $3,000 homes setting within 60 feet of my house in Westmoreland subdivision. My issue, it will it soon become subsidized housing because what the residents were being sold was a community / retail area that would complement and or justify the high rents. Now that this will not exist; the rents will come down and over the years, the prices of the houses in Westmoreland will reflect this failure. I’ll be moving soon, should have moved sooner!!
Posted by Steven G Johnson | December 17, 2024, 9:30 amNo Lidl?! This is a HUGE disappointment!! What a Big Mess!
Posted by Peggy Ashley | December 17, 2024, 9:39 amLet’s hope this project finds other investors because if notHuntersville and the Charlotte area have another “White Elephant.”
Posted by Ron | December 17, 2024, 1:50 pmThe town doesn’t need or want this development. No wonder its having problems. Within a few miles there are 4 Harris Teeters, Publix, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Aldi, Food Lion, Target, etc. There is plenty of unused space and other developments along Catawba for the few other shops/offices that were going to be included. Why put a giant development nobody wants on the corner of two incredibly busy and gridlocked 2 lane roads? Make it a park or something and stop approving this kind of stuff.
Posted by Mike Stov | December 17, 2024, 2:26 pmIt’s been such a pleasure driving by this eyesore for the past 3 years. Cornelius is getting homelier by the day.
Posted by Amy Reinhart | December 17, 2024, 3:01 pmThis is going to make Westmorland a toilet! Will be the new dumping ground for people in Cornelius! Such a shame! I hope a real investor comes in to make the changes needed for everyone or the properties are going to take a huge hit!
Posted by Cornelius Resident | December 17, 2024, 3:24 pmWell this is a perfect example of what can happen when bad projects get approved. This was never a good deal for anyone and yet here we are looking at mounds of dirt and half finished roads not to mention the absolute destruction of Lake Pines that I’m sure no one is going to fix. The town should get a handle of this situation and make some attempts at relieving this absolute eyesore.
Posted by Steve D | December 17, 2024, 3:24 pmI hope the Alexander family received all of their money!!! If the developer was paying in stages, the Alexander’s may never get all of their money. It has happened around here before.
Posted by W. Hunter | December 17, 2024, 7:15 pmOpportunity to come up with a better development plan. A sub shop, pizza place, nails and vet are pretty exciting but… How about entertainment or outdoor recreation development instead.
Posted by Scott | December 17, 2024, 8:18 pmThree thousand per month RENT??? I live in north Charlotte now, but my grandparents owned the farm that adjoined the Alexander farm. I remember when Hwy 21 and Sam Furr Rd was the intersection of two 2-lane country roads with a blinking yellow light. It was all farmland. It was nice and spacious. Now the RENT they want to charge is 3-1/2 TIMES what my MORTGAGE payment used to be. I say “used to be” because it’s now paid off and I own a nice house free and clear. Who in their right MIND would pay that much in RENT?!?!?!?
Posted by David | December 18, 2024, 9:07 am