Town board considers buying land north of Bailey Road
Oct. 6. By Dave Vieser. This evening, the Cornelius Town Board will consider two proposals: one to purchase vacant land owned by the Hunter family on Bailey Road east of Highway 115, and another to build 29 new single-family homes on a mostly vacant property adjoining Old Statesville Road just south of Washam Potts Road.
New parkland east of Highway 115?
The town is seeking to buy 36.18 acres on the north side of Bailey Road, across from Bailey Road Park. A contract has been executed between the town and Charles Eugene Hunter, as beneficiary and executor of the estate of Lilyan Reid Smith Hunter, for $3.45 million. Two previous proposals for a commerce center on the same tract were unsuccessful in recent years.
“The town has completed due diligence, and all reports came back satisfactory,” said town manager Andrew Grant. “The last remaining item before closing on the property is the satisfactory resolution of existing claims on the estate.”
Grant said potential uses for the property include:
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Parkland: This area is identified in the 2024 Parks and Greenway Master Plan for park land acquisition and could be used for active recreation, greenways, and open space.
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Business campus: The area is designated as Business Campus in the Land Use Plan and could support an office or research park.
There are plans from the voter-approved $20 million parks bond to purchase large tracts of land for future park use. While those funds are not immediately available due to bond sale procedures, the town board recently agreed to front some costs such as land acquisition if opportunities present themselves. The bond funding would not apply if the land is developed commercially.
Blue Heel Development
The proposal to build 29 single-family homes is for land at 19311 Old Statesville Road. Currently zoned neighborhood residential, the property would be rezoned conditionally under a proposal from developer Matt Gallagher of Blue Heel Development. The land, owned by the Magee James Davis Trust of Winston-Salem, has an assessed value of $438,000 and is mostly vacant except for one private home.
Gallagher said the homes would be 2,500 to 3,000 square feet with first-floor primary bedrooms and priced between $700,000 and $900,000.
Blue Heel previously built 27 townhomes on vacant land off Washam Potts Road.
The town board meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Cornelius Town Hall and will be live-streamed on the town website: www.cornelius.org.
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Wow, really? This board denies a project that would not only bring in much needed commercial tax revenue, but would also fix the intersection of Bailey and 115 at no cost to the town, to instead spend our tax dollars on MORE park space that would serve to cost the Cornelius residents in additional tax dollars going to creating and maintaining another park? Cornelius already has more park space per resident than any of the surrounding towns, sadly Cornelius officials refuse to include the county park space in our town in the calculation so their “need” for additional park space is erroneous.
Residents be informed, this kind of wasteful planning will lead to your taxes going up yet again!
Blue Heel leaves no tree left standing.
-a Davidson resident
Please raise my taxes for more parks and green ways.
The modification to the intersection was not a solution to traffic. The complete design of the railway would have needed new crossing arms, warning lights etc. to widen Bailey Road adding another lane. With Red Line now active, that’s an expense not to be entertained when they are searching for funding in taxation.
More parks, less development please.
Amen to that! More Green Space please!
Should make it a destination greenspace much like an “English Garden” as in Munich.Perhaps with a venue that could be rented out for events such as weddings!!
A business park has already been rejected twice for the 36.18 acres.
We need to preserve our green space no matter how much it may cost in additional taxes for the maintenance.
This is wonderful news! I agree with Mr. Siimpson, we need green space. When it’s gone, you can’t replace it.
Hats off to our Town Commissioners and Town Staff for envisioning something better for Cornelius! This project is worth the wait and a fantastic investment in our future. It’s better for our environment, safer for our children, consistent with the rural character of the area, and a thoughtful response to the needs expressed throughout the Town in the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan.
This is a terrific solution that both preserves the legacy of the land and respects the needs of the landowner. Open spaces, land conservation, and parks are far more valuable investments in the long run.
Would love to see something like Gathering Place in Tulsa, OK. It was voted best City Park in the US for several years and a top destination.
I understand that 29 new homes might only mean 60 to 100 more vehicles, but traffic in Cornelius is becoming unpleasant. I am also a transplant from Virginia so I have no right to complain about people moving into our area. However, I keep hearing from other residents that they love this area but hate the traffic. Already people, who can, plan their outings to avoid high traffic times. The traffic on the interstate is another reason people dislike coming to or even driving by our area. It appears that past planning for the future was not adequate So I am concerned about steps being taken to boost our infrastructure. I hope we can actually plan to keep this a wonderful place to live for future generations. Good luck friends and thank you for your efforts.