Aug. 7. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board unanimously approved plans for a new Mama’s Pizza building, more than twice the size of the existing facility. Business owner Frank Manis, a Cornelius resident, plans to erect a good-looking, 5,250-square-foot structure on the land behind the current restaurant, which will eventually be demolished.
The current building has only 1,652 square feet of heated space, according to Mecklenburg County tax records, and 2,291 square feet overall.
The new facility will include an outdoor seating area, as well as 2,000 square feet for an additional tenant. Parking will be in front of the new building. By placing the building behind the current restaurant, Mama’s will only be closed for about 4-5 weeks next summer, much to the relief of those who love Italian food. Mama’s Pizza also prepares hundreds of school lunches each day for 11 local charter schools.
Commissioner Jim Duke expressed what was really on everyone’s mind at the town meeting last night: “Whatever you do, don’t change your pizza.”
Manis agreed to provide space in the new restaurant for art in conjunction with the town’s arts district. The project application sailed through a series of hearings but at the Aug. 7 hearing, Mayor Chuck Travis and Commissioner Dave Gilroy both expressed concerns about having parking in front, as well as their desire to have a planting strip of trees between the sidewalk and the street. Manis agreed to work with the town on the trees once the state-funded design for Highway 115/North Main Street is complete. “Overall, I like the plan,” said Mayor Pro Tem Woody Washam. “It will be a vast improvement.”
Also at the August 7 meeting, the Town Board:
- Approved a request to rezone approximately 4.87 acres located at 18916 Old Statesville Road from Rural Preservation (RP) to Conditional Zoning (CZ) in order to permit the establishment a new office for Hodge HVAC.
- Reappointed Cheryl Crawford as chair of the town’s Land Development Code Advisory Board (LDCAB) for the upcoming year.
- Accepted a $63,844 state grant to fund 50 % of the cost for two traffic officers on the Cornelius Police. This is the final year of the grant.
