Caroline project near Antiquity Bridge on South Street
Sept. 9. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board’s approval of the Greenway Gartens and Caroline projects is not sitting well with everyone in Davidson.
“This is not a good scenario,” said Rusty Knox, the mayor of Davidson. “There are still too many unanswered questions, not only for Davidson residents, but Cornelius residents as well. That’s a lot of development packed into a small area.”
Mayor Knox
650 residential units
The rezoning will permit the construction of 650 residential units, plus an Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) and commercial buildings, just west of South Street where Davidson K-8 is located.
“While the Davidson Town Board has little if any recourse over a decision being made by our colleagues in Cornelius, I also agree with the sentiments that OMB doesn’t need so many high-density units to make their business beyond successful in North Mecklenburg,” said Davidson Commissioner Jane Campbell.
The projects, which are bound at the hip by a new connection from South Street to Zion Avenue, were approved unanimously by the Cornelius Town Board on Tuesday night.
Commissioner Campbell
School safety
Davidson resident Marion Sekerak spoke at the meeting as well.
“I ask you to come to South Street in Davidson between 3 pm and 4 pm on a weekday afternoon,” she said. “You’ll see 250 kids crossing the street. Once you see this, I would ask you to consider how the added traffic from these projects isn’t going to be a safety issue.”
She also expressed concerns about blind curves in the vicinity of the entrance to the greenway and added traffic from the Davidson Town Hall/Town Center which will be located farther north on South Street. The former school is in the process of renovation for its new use.
A process, with compromise
The two projects already had full approval from the Planning Board and from town staff.
Cornelius Mayor Pro Tem Denis Bilodeau said “hours of debate and compromise” went into the final product after board members listened to concerns from residents.
Lake Norman Chamber leaders Bill Russell, CEO, and Jeff Tarte, public policy vice chair, spoke out in favor of the two projects, as well as Carroll Gray, the retired CEO of the Charlotte Chamber.
The projects will help provide rooftops for retail in Antiquity as well as the arts district that will surround the Cain Center for the Arts.
The developers
Northwood Ravin is working with The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on Greenway Gartens, while Proffitt Dixon Partners is developing Caroline. The two projects have 34,000 square feet of commercial space.
