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Cornelius News

A possible commuter rail station appears on track north of Catawba

Jan. 21. If the Red Line becomes a reality, where will the Cornelius commuter station be located? One thing is certain: It won’t be in the original spot south of Catawba Avenue. This fact was revealed at a December Town Board meeting when commissioners and staff discussed the upcoming legislative agenda for 2025.

The original station was planned to be adjacent to the track near the Dunkin and the building to the south, said Deputy Town Mayor Wayne Herron.

The parking lot next to Harris Teeter was approved for a parking deck as well, but the Charlotte Area Transit System has “preliminarily determined” that it’s not big enough.

Either way, a rail station is considered an economic development asset.

Transit-oriented developments like Antiquity were built along Norfolk Southern’s O Line anticipating commuter rail, but no progress was made until the railroad said it was open to negotiations last year and it was acquired by Charlotte.

Herron said that the new Cornelius station likely would be farther north, between Zion Avenue and Railroad Street, near Barley Market.

“At this time, it’s just general exploration of the area and thinking about where people would want to walk and park (Antiquity vs. downtown) and where parking could go,” Herron said.

Background

Beyond the location of the depot, the billion-dollar commuter line itself is an open question. The North Meck towns have requested that the legislature permit a referendum for a 1 cent sales tax to be submitted to voters next November. Some of the proceeds would go toward construction of the new line, some for new roads.

The referendum is expected to be discussed early this year by the GOP caucus. This will determine whether the sales tax referendum will be on the ballot in Mecklenburg County next November.

The concept for mass transit and the road money generated from the tax would be a game changer.

“Without a question, we cannot possibly ever build enough roads fast enough in the years ahead to meet the transit needs of the Lake Norman region and surrounding areas,” said Mayor Woody Washam.

North Mecklenburg has the highest ridership in the county of the current CATS system, Washam said, one indication that they will utilize a good transit system.

All aboard?

Matthews officials have taken issue with the fact that CATS dropped plans for a new rail line in their part of the county in favor of the Red Line up into North Meck. Matthews officially went on record against the referendum this past August.

“I am strongly opposed to the current draft legislation, as it knowingly underfunds the approved transit plan for the region,” said Matthews Mayor John Higdon. “If ultimately approved, it will create drastic inequities by only funding the Silver Line East as Bus Rapid Transit while all other lines are built as rail.”