Bailey runs across the bottom of the site plan

By Dave Vieser. Cornelius requires developers to host a community meeting before a project goes to the Town Board. Normally, these meetings attract relatively small numbers of residents.

Thursday was a notable exception.

Developer Drew Thigpen explained the details of the scaled-down Cornelius Business Park project on Bailey Road to 125 residents at the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Family Life Center.

Drew Thigpen

Thigpen spent considerable time explaining why his project would be good for Cornelius. He even offered to build an additional left-turn lane at the Bailey Road/Hwy. 115 intersection at his own expense.

Whether he made an impression remains to be seen. One resident said between “the schools, the buses and students on bikes, traffic on Bailey Road is terrible. This is just not the right spot for such a project.”

Background

The seller of the property is Eugene Hunter, whose retirement depends on a sale, his son, Wes Hunter, said.

Thigpen said the 36-acre parcel is not likely to remain in the rural preservation category of zoning because it will be sold at some point.

Thigpen reduced the size of his original project from five to four buildings and added 4,600 feet of walking trails and sidewalks, all at no cost to the town. He also showed photos of some other buildings he has constructed during the meeting.

However, the big stumbling block he faces is Bailey Road traffic. The town recently received a comprehensive report which suggested there are no easy solutions.

Whether that will—or should be—a factor in the rezoning decision remains to be seen.

What’s next?

The developer will give an extended presentation before the town board on Monday March 3 during their regular meeting. There will be no decisions made at that time, but the public is always invited to speak if they wish. That meeting begins at 6 pm in Town Hall and will be live-streamed on the town website: www.cornelius.org.