Caroline rendering from Proffitt Dixon Partners
Sept. 7. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board will consider approving the Greenway Gartens and Caroline projects at today’s meeting, which begins at 5 pm.
The projects, taken together, would encompass 720 residential units, a 14,000 square foot brewery, restaurant/brewpub, tap room and a 10,000 square-foot indoor event facility as well as other commercial uses.
The projects gained an approval recommendation from the Planning Board last week after a four-hour meeting. Supporters said the two mixed-use projects would provide a perfect companion for the Cain Center for the Arts which is under construction nearby.
OMB rendering: Brewery, beer garden and residences
Deli won’t cut it
“The Cain Center for the Arts will be a 400-seat facility,” said Matt Walker of Cornelius. “It cannot send its attendees across the street to a 500 square-foot bar or the deli section in Harris Teeter.”
Other supporters noted that the developer had agreed to pay for significant road improvements in the area.
Park chair speaks out
Some neighbors raised concerns over noise, density and traffic.
They also quizzed the town on the rapid timing of the hearings.
“My concern is that this whole project just doesn’t fit,” said Scott Higgins, an Antiquity resident and chair of the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
“Why the rush to judgment,” he asked.
Scott Higgins (center)
Community survey
Antiquity residents also presented the results of a neighborhood canvas which indicated 87 percent of the Antiquity residents opposed the projects.
In the end, however, the planning board went along with town staff recommendation, which was based on the developers agreeing to a lengthy list of conditions, many of which include enhancements to traffic control in the area.
At today’s meeting, the Town Board can take one of three steps:
1. Approve the rezoning request.
2. Deny the rezoning request.
3. Table one or both of the proposals.
The meeting will take place at Town Hall on Catawba Avenue and will be live streamed on the towns web site www.cornelius.org. To watch the meeting live, access the link “watch meetings online.”
