development
Building boom. Or bust? Major projects face obstacles
April 22. By Dave Vieser. During 2021, the Cornelius Town Board approved rezoning for 1,442 residential units. While growth in Cornelius is inevitable, the numbers are still astonishing. Politically, the volume of residential units approved turned out to be problematic. Indeed, four of the five Town Board incumbents were not reelected; development was a major […]
Alexander Farm project: First you Z it…then you don’t
April 13. By Dave Vieser. For those who recently saw the public hearing “Z” signs posted on the Alexander Farm development site—only to be removed a few days later—here’s the scoop. The signs were posted last month when Florida-based WIN Development appealed a decision by the town which wouldn’t permit them to build more senior […]
Highest and best use: Burned to the ground on purpose
April 7. The chimney is about all that’s left of a ranch home on West Catawba Avenue across from the Westmoreland neighborhood. It was a controlled fire set by Cornelius Lemley Volunteer Fire Dept. for training purposes. The home is in the middle of an exceptional nine-acre parcel assembled by Group Three Holdings in Greenwich […]
Tenant house: It really is saved, but it won’t move to a town park
April 6. By Dave Yochum. As of April 5, Preserve Mecklenburg says they “can now see a way to preserve the tenant house” on the Alexander Farm property which will soon become a large mixed-use development. It all came down to the wire with the developer at odds with the Town of Cornelius over where […]
No place for home: Historic tenant house has no place to go
March 14. By Dave Yochum. It turns out there’s a glitch in the efforts to save the tenant house on the Alexander Farm at the corner of Westmoreland and West Catawba. The town may have identified a permanent site, but it won’t be ready any time soon. Meanwhile, an April 12 demolition deadline is looming. […]
Does Fido need a break from you?
March 4. It looks like a PetSuites pet resort may be coming to Cornelius. The national company is looking at property behind a planned convenience store at Nantz and West Catawba, according to town officials. Doggone luxurious PetSuites is known for “canine suites” and “cat condos,” according to the company’s website. Options include the Canine […]
Will a ‘growth management committee’ dilute the new Town Board?
Feb.8. By Dave Vieser. The formation of a Growth Management Committee to oversee the development of the new town draft Land Use Plan led some members of the Cornelius Town Board and Mayor Woody Washam in opposite directions during their meeting last night. However, after a lengthy discussion, the board and Mayor agreed to move […]
Spa treatment may be coming to Hickory Street downtown
Feb. 3. Dave Vieser. Charlotte-based Godspeed developers is planning a two-story building on vacant land at 21405 Hickory St. adjacent to downtown Cornelius. The structure will house a spa on the first floor and an apartment on the second level. . The project will not require rezoning, according to senior town planner Aaron Tucker. “It […]
Alexander Farm bulldozing coming soon
Jan. 5. By Dave Vieser. The developers of the $110 million mixed-use project at Westmoreland and West Catawba say they could begin clearing the 55-acre farm late next month or early March, depending on contractor availability. The Alexander Farm was the last working farm on the west side of I-77 in Cornelius. There are no […]
Deadline to save Cornelius tenant farmhouse is Feb. 1
Dec. 22. By Dave Vieser. Preserve Mecklenburg, which hopes to save the tenant house at the old Alexander Farm at West Catawba and Westmoreland, would move the historic structure to a site near the Cedar Grove mansion on Gilead Road in Huntersville. The deadline is apparently Feb. 1. “There were many sharecroppers at Cedar Grove,” […]
