MOORESVILLE – The agenda for the last meeting of the year for the Mooresville Board of Commissioners was a mixed plate of pro forma zoning and annexation requests, sprinkled with a dash of contract approvals to enhance services already enjoyed by Mooresville residents.
On Monday, commissioners approved a rezoning request for about 37 acres of land on Coddle Creek Highway at Kistler Farm Road, part of a more than 130-acre parcel owned by the Harris family since 1705. While historically used for agricultural purposes, the land was rezoned in the mid-1990s to accommodate single-family residential uses, and it will now be rezoned to permit a residential and mixed use development by Cambridge Properties.
The “Harris Farms” proposal by Cambridge is the product of about three years of work with the Harris family to develop what’s described as a very “walkable, friendly community” anchored by a high-end grocery store and at least 11,000 square feet of smaller shops. While a traffic impact assessment is still in process, improvements to the entrance of the proposed development would include added turn lanes.
Jay Priester with Cambridge Properties described his company’s approach to the development as a high-level commitment to the enhancement of the Coddle Creek corridor.
“If we don’t execute well with the beautification and doing the traffic improvements that are needed and going above and beyond, then we fail as developers and our project fails,” Priester said. “Failure is not an option.”
The board approved rezoning and annexation of the property unanimously, as they also did for a three-acre site on Shinnville Road.
What commissioners did not agree on, however, was an annexation request from several property owners involving approximately 227 undeveloped acres along Bailey Road and U.S. 21 that is zoned “by right” to accommodate more than 440 dwellings.
“I cannot support annexing this to add another 400 and some plus homes in that area,” Commissioner Lisa Qualls said, emphasizing the town already struggles to provide infrastructure services for existing development.
Expressing similar concerns and unease about annexing without knowing what type of development is planned, Commissioners Eddie Dingler and Gary West joined Qualls in opposing the request, however, Mayor Miles Atkins broke the board’s 3-3 deadlock, casting the deciding vote in favor of annexation.
The next town board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4.
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