By Dave Yochum. Hundreds of people came to an old church gymnasium off Hwy. 73 in Huntersville for developer Jake Palillo’s public unveiling of an $800 million development that includes million-dollar homes, a hotel and a 10-acre freshwater lagoon.

Some of the people listened politely.

One person carrying a sign that said “Hell! No! Jake Palillo!” set the tone for the majority of the presentation that was about a zoning change for an upscale development on 263 acres of farmland on both sides of Hwy. 73 around Westmoreland Road.

Known as Lagoona Bay— there’s a members-only lagoon with beaches at the center of the project—the proposed development would have 250 single family homes starting around $900,000; 320 apartments, 200 townhomes and a little over 400 condos.

Palillo was confronted on topics like human trafficking, housing for teachers and the cost of day care.

Yet his plan calls for a hotel with a rooftop restaurant, a 35,000 square foot conference center and 210,000 square feet of retail, Palillo said, most of the retail being occupied by a wide variety of restaurants.

It’s not about golf anymore

Declaring “the days of golf-centric country clubs are over,” the developer of Bailey’s Glen in Cornelius and nearby Symphony Park in Huntersville said the village would be open to the public, while the lagoon would be an amenity for residents and hotel guests.

“It gives people something that we don’t have,” Palillo said. “There’s a segment of the people that are going to enjoy it. They’re saying that Birkdale is overwhelmed; we can’t get in Birkdale. So, we’re giving you an option for a second Birkdale.”

Traffic issues

Traffic on the two-lane segment of Hwy. 73—it only becomes four-lanes to the west—was a legitimate issue that came up several times.

Palillo said Hwy. 73 widening is slated to start in 2026, about when Lagoona Bay would be opening up, in phases, with residential on deck first.

Palillo, who mentioned two or three times that opponents have posted his children’s and grandchildren’s addresses and schools were posted online, said development of one form or another is coming. Farmland on a major connector like Hwy. 73 is a thing of the past, the Cornelius resident said.

“To say that property will not be developed is wrong,” said Palillo, who was dressed in jeans and a casual, untucked shirt.

Timeline

Members of his team, officially known as Bi-Part, include landscape architects Urban Design Partners and Housing Studio, whose founder Chuck Travis, a former mayor of Cornelius, attended the meeting.

Palillo said that if the rezoning is approved, he hopes to begin construction next year. A self-made man who never graduated from high school, Palillo said he already has $600,000 in the project.

Multiple steps lie ahead: The first public hearing for the rezoning is set for June 5. The Town Board could take up the project in mid-July.

Palillo, who promised to answer every question even if the meeting went until midnight, did so as the crowd dwindled to fewer than 100 and the meeting turned polite and respectful, including the questions. It was over at 9 pm, two-and-a-half hours after it started.