Rendering of Mayes Meadow/Courtesy Bayard Development, LLC
Feb. 8. By Dave Vieser. A proposal which would remove existing rural preservation zoning on a large plot in southeast Cornelius will be reviewed at 6:30 pm today by the town’s Planning Board. Simonini/Bayard Builders is requesting permission to build 180 single-family homes on 96.5 acres of vacant farm and wooded land on Mayes Road.
Simonini is one of the top names in custom builders in Charlotte, with predecessor companies having built a variety of homes in neighborhoods like The Peninsula and Connor Quay. The nearby Mayes Hall development, currently under construction over the Davidson line, is one of their projects.
The Conditional Zoning request would carry a density of 1.8 units per acre; the site is currently zoned Rural Preservation, which means that the minimum lot size is three acres.
A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) was only received late last week but town officials still feel confident in recommending approval to the planning board. However, the analysis has not been seen or reviewed by the NCDOT.
“Since this project did not meet NCDOT’s threshold to require a TIA, we will be sending the TIA to NCDOT for a courtesy review,” said Planning Director Aaron Tucker. “This will not hold up review by the Planning Board. While we will be recommending approval, the Planning Board has the ability to approve the project with conditions, to deny it or table it.”
At the February meeting of the towns Transportation Advisory Board, questions were raised concerning the most likely means of access to the proposed new homes, which is the Mayes Road/Highway 115 intersection. The intersection has a difficult railroad crossing and any required improvements would involve both the NCDOT and Norfolk Southern Railroad.
The Mayes Road plan calls for over 50 percent of the property to be open space, an unusually high percentage, and the Greenway which goes through the property will be a central part of the development. It will be a mix of one- and two- story homes, in the $400,000 to $600,000 price range, all with master bedrooms on the main floor.
The Planning Board meeting will be conducted at Town Hall and broadcast live via the Town’s website (www.cornelius.org).
Those wishing to comment may do so in three manners:
—Via Zoom – Access the Planning Board agenda at the town web site and link to public comment guidelines.Zoom participants should be prepared to join the meeting at 5:30 p.m. for audio/video testing.
—Via email toTownofCornelius@Cornelius.
—In-person, with several precautions, including mandatory masks (even when speaking) and touchless temperature checks. No audience seating will be available in the Assembly Room. Speakers and guests may wait in the lobby or Community Room, with appropriate physical distancing.
