May 8. By Dave Yochum. The Cornelius Planning Board last night recommended approval of the Cornelius Business Park in a near-unanimous vote. Developer Drew Thigpen of Greenberg Gibbons Properties said he was “extremely excited” by the Planning Board’s 7-1 thumbs-up.
“It’s really encouraging to see a group of leaders take such an important step towards delivering this business park to Cornelius,” he said, noting that the project conforms with the underlying land use.
Drew Thigpen
Thigpen agreed with nearby Bailey’s Glen residents about traffic problems, but explained that his new business park would help solve them.
Quotable
“It delivers much-needed transportation infrastructure relief to Bailey Road, and it provides premier space for local businesses in Cornelius,” Thigpen said, alluding to the potential for 150-plus new jobs.
Background
It was a case of deja vu all over again.
Two years ago Greenberg Gibbons withdrew similar plans for a larger small business complex in the face of vigorous opposition.
Bailey Road is treacherous when Bailey Middle and Hough High students are arriving and departing; a number of new residential neighborhoods, including Bailey’s Glen, are farther east, as well as access to River Run in Davidson and a new Publix shopping center on Hwy. 73
“We’re grateful for Planning Board’s support, and we look forward to working with the town as we continue to with this rezoning effort,” Thigpen said.
Thigpen’s four-building plan includes a new left-hand turn lane from Bailey Road heading west to Hwy. 115 south, where the back-ups are routinely dozens of cars deep.
The planning board approval—a recommendation, really–now goes to the town board for a public hearing and decision, most likely in June or July.
The Town Board can agree, or deny the rezoning despite the planning board’s recommendation.
Go deeper
Thigpen has previously stated that the 36-acre parcel is not likely to remain in the rural preservation zoning class because it will be sold at some time in the future. In fact, he said a much larger project would be likely to happen if his plans are ulltimatelly denied.
He said “fear of our development is being weaponized so that a larger project can be built in its place. I’m not the enemy.”
Thigpen’s younger sister said what a great role model her brother was during the public comment period.
In fact, Thigpen seemed to win over the crowd when he said town planners wanted an even larger project to go into this area. He read verbatim from page 14 of their written report:
While the proposed flex space use is recommended as a potential primary land use in the Business Campus area, staff finds the relatively small unit footprints, proposed service tenant mix, and overall scale of the development to be inconsistent with the vision for this area of creating a cohesive employment-generating center. The amount of undeveloped adjacent land, proposed transportation and utility infrastructure, and similar features in the vicinity make this property viable for a larger-scale project.
I’m glad the planning board approved this. It is the right thing to do for the Town and for the Hunter family whose property has been held hostage by zoning issues. Hopefully, the Town Board will have the courage to approve it as well.
Posted by David Judge | May 8, 2025, 12:23 pm“held hostage by zoning issues.”
Really? Buying rural property in hopes of an eventual rezoning is a gamble taken by the buyer. There’s no hostage here. Just poor decision making that can’t see ten years ahead. Or doesn’t care.
Posted by Neighbor | May 9, 2025, 12:06 pmWe’ve owned the property for 25 years!! We farmed it for 20+. We’ve been trying to sell for a few years. The towns land use plan, the same for many years, matches the developers plan. The town has not changed the land use plan.
If you owned a multi million dollar piece of property and there was an organized effort to keep you from selling it…. You would not be happy.
Posted by Wes Hunter | May 9, 2025, 9:50 pmYou’re right, Wes. I would love to sell my multi-million dollar property if I had such a thing. That’s quite an appreciation in value, I’m sure.
Still, I would not be surprised that people who are concerned about the obvious traffic congestion at this intersection would think that a better, non-industrial solution should be considered first.
It seems that much of the argument FOR this sale is that nobody else will do their job. Not the town. Not the NC DOT. Not CMS. That’s a sad state of affairs and a poor excuse for approval.
I wish you nothing but the best, Wes. But I can care about my neighborhood being overstressed, right?
Posted by NEIGHBOR | May 10, 2025, 1:08 pmI cannot agree that this is a positive thing. Do you live in that area and can make that statement to show approval when it isn’t affecting you?
I am very sorry to all of you living in the Bailey Road area that will be negatively impacted by this town’s decision to back this project.
Posted by Disgusted | May 8, 2025, 2:24 pmI live off Bailey Road and am optimistic about this project. Funding a 3rd lane on Westbound Bailey Road at 115 for a left turn lane adds enormous value for all drivers over here. And adding commercial building to our heavily-residential property tax base is good for all. The parking may add benefit as weekend overflow for all the soccer games at Bailey Road park as well.
Posted by CT | May 8, 2025, 3:28 pmPlease upgrade roads before all these buildings.
Posted by Jon | May 8, 2025, 5:41 pmA few observations from the Planning Board meeting
– GGP is not the only entity that can fix the intersection of Bailey Rd and Hwy 115. The Town should use some of the millions of dollars it has in the general fund for road improvement and take immediate action.
– Safety is the number one issue, again this is a town responsibility, let’s not cede it to a developer
– Voters approved Park Bonds for land acquisition, let’s use some of the funds to acquire the 36 acre Hunter Property
– The Planning Dept and Planning Board as well as The Town Board should have great communication…. no surprise 200 acre plan.
– The Land Use Plan should be revisited for the Bailey Rd corridor. Local citizen issues are real and should not be dismissed as NIMBY
Posted by Denis Bilodeau | May 8, 2025, 9:15 pmThank you, Denis. EXTREMELY disappointing to see the Planning Board, who voted against this in 2023, now seems to be embracing this scream to win approval without regard to all the negatives.
Posted by Deb Coppa | May 8, 2025, 11:33 pmThank you Dennis Bilodeau for these observations! Sadly, the Land Use Plan approved “Business Campus” in 2023. All of those properties add up to over 200 acres, so, yes, that Land Use Plan should be revised to acknowledge the lack of adequate transportation access to support it and the nearby schools, neighborhood and park. The required road improvements (roundabout and 400′ left turn lane) only keep their hundreds of vehicle trips from further deteriorating the intersection. What happens when this project and its newly named “Zion Avenue” road open the door to the rest of that 200+ acres of development? That little roundabout and left turn lane will be overwhelmed with thousands, not hundreds, of vehicle trips. This developer (and many others) continue to use the old “something worse” will be there if they don’t get to build their light industrial complex. Under the current zoning it is only a few homes with low traffic count. The Town needs to get its act together, once this short-sighted project is denied, and purchase the land from the property owner. It would set in place an actual vision, proactively (instead of reactively) that meets Town needs – not those of this out-of-state developer and Chamber’s “build at any cost” faction.
Posted by Anonymous | May 9, 2025, 7:59 amAmen!
Please know that most Baileys Glen residents are not against the right to sell one’s property. Simply, the GG proposal is NOT A GOOD FIT, due to many reasons that include safety, traffic congestion and road base condition.
The Town Planning Dept. indicates that the GG project would generate $50,000 in Cornelius property tax. The 575 properties in the BG/Forest/Bailey Rd area generate approximately $560,000 in Cornelius property tax (does not include Avery and Beverly Neiborhoods). These nearby property owners’ opposition to the GG proposal should be strongly considered.
Surely there can be a win-win outcome that can be achieved for both the landowner and a GOOD FIT for the use of the site.
Please plan to attend the Town Board of Commissions meeting on June 2.
Posted by Jack Higgins | May 9, 2025, 9:56 amThank you to the Cornelius Planning Board for voting to approve this rezoning request. While former Commissioner Bilodeau is likely correct the Town “could” spend money to fix the transportation problem on Bailey Road/Hwy. 115 – they will not. Nor is NC DOT. Nor is CMS. The developer is the ONLY one willing to invest in our community and committed to improve this dangerous intersection. It will also provide a product our small business community needs which meets the current Land Code. It is interesting the previous commentor who said the Chamber is “Build at any cost” yet posts their comments anonymously! No Mr/Mrs anonymous keyboard warrior – the Chamber is not for building at any cost. Its for seeing we have a balanced tax base so residents don’t have an undue burden of paying too much in taxes for municipal services and creating jobs where the people live. I’ll put my name to that – something you are too timid to do. Now lets hope the Town Board uses common sense, does the right thing by this land owner, and approves this rezoning request.
Posted by William Russell | May 9, 2025, 4:29 pmI want to express my strong support for the Planning Board’s 7-1 recommendation to approve the Bailey Road project. This decision is a forward-thinking step for Cornelius, balancing the real needs of our community, our local businesses, and property owners.
First, I fully acknowledge the concerns about traffic and safety. These are not minor issues-they are central to the daily lives of everyone in the Bailey Road area. But it’s also clear that the status quo isn’t working. For years, residents have been promised road improvements that never materialize, and the intersection at Bailey and Hwy 115 remains a bottleneck and a safety concern. The reality is, neither the Town nor NCDOT has stepped up to fund or expedite these improvements. The developer, by contrast, is offering tangible solutions: a new left-turn lane and infrastructure upgrades that will directly benefit all who use Bailey Road. Couple these improvements with town action and we all win!
Second, this project is not an outlier-it aligns with the Town’s adopted Land Use Plan, which designates this area for business campus development. This is not a scare tactic; it’s a realistic assessment of market forces and zoning realities.
Third, we have to consider the broader financial health of Cornelius. Our tax base is heavily weighted toward residential properties, which places a disproportionate burden on homeowners to fund municipal services. Adding high-quality commercial space diversifies our tax base and brings new jobs and opportunities to our town-something previous town leadership has openly called for. The projected $50,000 in annual property tax revenue from this project is just the start; the economic ripple effects of supporting small business growth and job creation will be felt throughout the community.
I also want to highlight the rights of the property owners. The Hunter family has endured years of shifting zoning requirements and uncertainty, which has unfairly impacted their ability to realize the value of their land. It’s time for Cornelius to show that we respect both our residents and those who invest in our future.
Finally, I urge the Town Board to take action-not just with words, but with a vote that reflects courage, vision, and a commitment to balanced progress.
I want to add my strong support for Denis Bilodeau’s first point about the urgent need for road improvements.
This truly hits home for me and so many others in Cornelius. For years, we’ve watched traffic congestion and safety issues on Bailey Road get worse, especially with the growth of schools, neighborhoods, and local businesses. Despite repeated promises from our town leadership, including our mayor, meaningful action keeps getting delayed.
The reality is, the intersection at Bailey and Hwy 115 has been a known problem for years, yet the Town has been slow to commit the resources or urgency, needed to fix it. The recent addition of turn lanes is a start, but it’s not enough to address the underlying congestion and safety concerns, especially with more development on the horizon. Our mayor has talked about getting these problems solved “in short order,” but the community is still waiting for decisive action and real results.
Denis Bilodeau is right: the Town should be using its available funds to address these infrastructure needs now, not later. We can’t keep shifting the blame or expect developers alone to solve issues that are fundamentally the Town’s responsibility. If we want to support our residents, attract quality business, and keep tax burdens balanced, we need leadership that acts-not just talks.
Let’s hope the Town Board finally uses some common sense, does right by the property owners and the community, and approves this rezoning request-while also making road improvements a real priority, not just a talking point.
Posted by Joe a vagnone | May 9, 2025, 6:47 pmIt is laughable that these are considered meaningful and serious improvements to the previous proposal.
Proposed pickleball courts and public parking are right on the actual road! They will be paved over when the road extended in less than a year.
Dog park and the public car parking are on the opposite ends. The developer expects us to park the car at one end and walk dogs through loading bays and moving trucks to access it?
Posted by ANONYMOUS | May 13, 2025, 2:45 pm