Wegmans Seeks Expedited Rezoning

By Jon Show — The Town of Cornelius outlined an expedited review process this week that could lead to a board of commissioners vote on a new Wegmans grocery store as early as February 2027.

According to a presentation during a town board meeting earlier this week, which was open to the public, Wegmans recently met with town commissioners and proposed to use the zoning approval for the Augustalee multi-use development project, approved in 2008, which covered 104 acres and included a large-scale retail store that was never built.

In addition to a store, the grocery chain proposed setting aside a portion of the tract it has agreed to acquire from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority for a future economic development initiative coordinated with the town.

Town attorneys provided feedback that they could not approve an amendment to the Augustalee plan because of significant changes since its approval. Those changes included:

• Removal of the Atrium site as outlined in the original plan
• The need for major road improvements
• Additional modifications from the original plan
• Changes to NCDOT’s future Statesville Road widening since Augustalee was approved

Town response

The town, which sent its response to Wegmans earlier this week, is countering by proposing to rezone the entire site through conditional zoning, requesting that Wegmans file a rezoning application by Nov. 2.

To accelerate the process, town staff proposed to the town board waiving standard steps, including review by the town’s Pre-Development Review Committee, a community meeting and an introductory town board meeting. That expedited process is permitted by the town’s Land Development Code and has been used in recent years to approve the Cornelius History Museum and the current consideration of a Bethel Presbyterian Church expansion.

That schedule would allow the proposal to proceed through Planning Board and Town Board reviews in January and February, in time to meet Wegmans’ request for a decision by February 2027.

Under the proposal, the tract would be divided into two sites. The town board would consider conditional zoning for the grocery store lot, with a separate approval required for any future development on the remaining acreage.

The town would also ask Wegmans to commit to partnering on efforts to attract future development, such as a business park or hotel.

Road improvements

A traffic impact analysis by NCDOT and the town would be required as part of the rezoning application, which is standard for large-scale developments, but likely would not be completed before the February target.

The town’s response states that the scope of required road improvements eventually identified by the TIA would be agreed upon and implemented by Wegmans once the TIA is complete later in 2027.

Other concerns voiced in the presentation included the site layout, parking and screening. The town also expressed a desire for the project to be “transformative for the NC-21 corridor” and to “set a good example” for future development.