Lots in Flagship (red box) and Emerald Cove (red line)

Oct. 4. The Town Board last night turned down a request from the Flagship neighborhood that would have allowed them to build stand-alone garages in their front yards—a major no-no in Cornelius.

In this case, the Flagship front yards are hundreds of feet deep, set back from Bethel Church Road by gates and a common driveway. The homes themselves are close to the lake and their garages are small by estate standards. So residents wanted to be allowed to erect garages amidst the vast expanse of their front yards—where detached structures are not permitted as per town code.

Flagship is the kind of million-dollar neighborhood where one resident said he spent $400,000 on his front yard.

Details

The lots run more or less north and south along Bethel Church. In neighboring Wright’s Emerald Cove, where lots run more or less east and west along Queensdale, a half-dozen residents could end up looking at a garage in Flagship from their collective backyards.

The Flagship garages could have beeen as large as 2,000 square feet, the size of a three-bedroom home with a great room, dining room and flex space.

But it’s only really an issue for the one lot that adjoins the Queensdale homes.

The vote

Furcht

Commissioner Colin Furcht made the motion to deny the Flagship request. “It would have been fantastic if y’all could come to an agreement,” he said. “It’s not our place to mediate a neighborhood disagreement.”

The vote was 4-0 against the Flagship plan. Commissioner Todd Sansbury, who lives on Queensdale, recused himself from the vote.

In other action

LKN Hyundai

Commissioners unanimously approved plans for Lake Norman Hyundai on Chartown Drive to build a new 44,482 square-foot showroom and service facility with a raised area facing I-77 that would showcase new cars, with the understanding that additional landscaping would be included in the final plan.