Nov. 17. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the proposed downtown master plan this evening beginning at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. The plan represents the culmination of 15 months of work aimed at shaping the future of downtown Cornelius in both the near and long term.

The plan was unanimously adopted by the town Planning Board at its October meeting and focuses on a 220-acre area at the intersection of Main Street (Highway 115) and Catawba Avenue.

Key components of the plan include:

• An overview of recommended land uses in the core downtown region, including an analysis of current and future parking needs.
• An emphasis on new art, branding and placemaking opportunities that build upon existing assets such as the Cain Center, as well as improved gateway corridors.
• A detailed implementation strategy, timeframe and funding recommendations.
• A reimagined transportation network that prioritizes multimodal users, recommends the preferred location for the future CATS park-and-ride, and reconnects the adjoining street grid to improve traffic flow.

The full master plan is available here, and an executive summary can be found here. The vision was developed in partnership with Kimley-Horn, a Charlotte-based engineering, planning and design firm that was paid $169,200 by the town to prepare the plan.

The meeting is open to the public and will also be streamed on the town website: www.cornelius.org.