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.
