Feb. 5. By Dave Vieser. The first public hearing on the Mulberry Townhomes rezoning request elicited just a few concerns at the Cornelius Town Board meeting last night.

“My biggest concern is parking,” said Catawba Avenue  resident Nancy Archer. The townhomes are an infill project behind the Food Lion downtown. “I’m also concerned with the height of the new units,” she said.

The proposal calls for a total of six, three-story townhomes. They would be 33 feet high, and sit on a a third of an acre, configured as a narrow strip of property along the Food Lion’s rear pavement. Archer’s comments echoed the concerns which were voiced at the proposals community meeting held in January. About a dozen people attended.

The plan goes back to the 1980s and 1990s. Zoning requirements meanwhile changed and conditional zoning is now required.

Next up for this project will be consideration by the town planning board sometime in March.

In other action, the town board:

—Named Meghan Stamper to fill a vacant seat on the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Ms. Stampers term will run through January 2022. The commissioners also reappointed Chris Kolkhorst and Travis Dancy to new three year terms which will also run through January 2022.

—Approved a municipal agreement between the town and NCDOT outlining the process and responsibilities of both for the realignment of Bailey Road between Poole Place Drive and Highway 21. Under the terms of the agreement the town will pay for 51 % of the project cost with the remaining 49 % to be covered by the DOT. The plan is to straighten the road for a distance of approximately 1/2 mile, and the town portion of the funding will be covered by bonds approved by town voters. The DOT will take the lead on all phases of the project including design, right of way and construction.