Oct. 6. By Dave Vieser. This evening, the Cornelius Town Board will consider two proposals: one to purchase vacant land owned by the Hunter family on Bailey Road east of Highway 115, and another to build 29 new single-family homes on a mostly vacant property adjoining Old Statesville Road just south of Washam Potts Road.

New parkland east of Highway 115?

The town is seeking to buy 36.18 acres on the north side of Bailey Road, across from Bailey Road Park. A contract has been executed between the town and Charles Eugene Hunter, as beneficiary and executor of the estate of Lilyan Reid Smith Hunter, for $3.45 million. Two previous proposals for a commerce center on the same tract were unsuccessful in recent years.

“The town has completed due diligence, and all reports came back satisfactory,” said town manager Andrew Grant. “The last remaining item before closing on the property is the satisfactory resolution of existing claims on the estate.”

Grant said potential uses for the property include:

• Parkland: This area is identified in the 2024 Parks and Greenway Master Plan for park land acquisition and could be used for active recreation, greenways, and open space.

• Business campus: The area is designated as Business Campus in the Land Use Plan and could support an office or research park.

There are plans from the voter-approved $20 million parks bond to purchase large tracts of land for future park use. While those funds are not immediately available due to bond sale procedures, the town board recently agreed to front some costs such as land acquisition if opportunities present themselves. The bond funding would not apply if the land is developed commercially.

Blue Heel Development

The proposal to build 29 single-family homes is for land at 19311 Old Statesville Road. Currently zoned neighborhood residential, the property would be rezoned conditionally under a proposal from developer Matt Gallagher of Blue Heel Development. The land, owned by the Magee James Davis Trust of Winston-Salem, has an assessed value of $438,000 and is mostly vacant except for one private home.

Gallagher said the homes would be 2,500 to 3,000 square feet with first-floor primary bedrooms and priced between $700,000 and $900,000.

Blue Heel previously built 27 townhomes on vacant land off Washam Potts Road.

The town board meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Cornelius Town Hall and will be live-streamed on the town website: www.cornelius.org.