Village at Lake Norman Gets Re-Zoning Approval

The massive Village at Lake Norman development planned for Cornelius received the necessary rezoning for the proposed location south of Westmoreland Rd between I-77 and US 21, but major hurdles still remain for the project.

In a 3-2 vote Wednesday night (April 23rd), Town of Cornelius commissioners approved the rezoning for the land, but many other approvals will be needed along the way to completion. Complex financing plans for the project will need to be accepted by Mecklenburg County, and the Town of Cornelius has reserved the right to rescind the rezoning if all the financing issues are not to the Town's liking. Major road construction is proposed and needed by the developers, especially the addition of an interchange with Westmoreland Rd on I-77 and the addition of at least one more lane on I-77 through the area. This means that various state and federal entities will also need to grant approvals of one form or another.

Developer Cornelius-Bromont has made a number of assurances to the Town, including the promise of high-end retail tenants, straightening and extension of Bailey Rd (to an extent, this point was already in the developer's master plan), a new public safety facility, a return of $1.3 million for the Town's service costs, and acceptance of various intermediate deadlines for various aspects of financial approval and construction phases.