Photo credit: Darren Versace
May 6. By Dave Yochum. The Town of Cornelius is wielding its clout as the host to various developments and builders. It has declared a growing sinkhole on Old Canal Street in Antiquity “a dangerous and an imminent threat to the health and safety of the general public and a public nuisance.”
The sinkhole at Old Canal and Playwright’s Way, about midway between the Antiquity covered bridge and the shopping area around the Harris Teeter, opened before Thanksgiving last year. Old Canal had become a convenient alternate route for motorists trying to avoid back-ups on North Main between Davidson and Cornelius.
The sinkhole, which was just to the side of the road, has encroached into the road itself. Town officials say the road has not been officially turned over to the town as yet.
Developer Cam Finley of Finley Properties in Wilkesboro has 10 days to repair the sinkhole. He did not respond for comment.
Old Canal closed 6 months
Residents say there were promises to fix the sinkhole dating back to November last year. Old Canal has been closed since around Thanksgiving 2018.
In a letter to Finley dated May 1, the town essentially took matters into its own hands, saying it would go ahead with repairs and assess a $50 civil penalty.
In an interview, Town Manager Andrew Grant said the town would also file liens against the developer’s property to ensure that reimbursement would be made.
Antiquity LLC still owns millions of dollars worth of property in the area, mostly along Zion Avenue, the street that runs parallel to the railroad tracks on the eastern side.
The Town of Cornelius actually holds sureties or bonds posted by Antiquity, LLC equal to about $1.1 million at this time. Grant said the town would not be tapping into those funds, but instead would file liens to address the repair costs.
This is not the first sinkhole in the mixed-use neighborhood which features a wide range of single-family homes, townhouses and nearby retail. Property values range from around $200,000 for some townhouses to well over $400,000 for some larger single-family homes.
In 2013, a larger sinkhole devoured part of the Old Canal pavement, as well as stormwater pipes, underground electric lines and a retaining wall.
The local topography is challenging. There’s a steep change in grade from the northern side of Old Canal down to a creek bed. Fortunately for the town, the road is apparently still the responsibility of the developer. Residents, however, are between a hole and a hard place; they will want it fixed fast.
Sinkholes swallow cars, houses
Sinkhole in Hickory
The sinkholes are not massive by any means. The most damage from sinkholes tends to occur in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.
It took 16 years and roughly $5 million to repair an enormous sinkhole on US 70 in Hickory that formed in the parking lot of the old Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe. The incident gained national attention when it swallowed a Corvette.
The sinkholes were repaired and then reopened in 2004 and 2005. The topography failed again in 2013, according to a Hickory Daily Record story in July 2016. The city took over the property to facilitate repairs in concert with the NCDOT.
