Weekly Connections with Brian Lafontaine July 27, 2025
- Uncategorized
CORNELIUS NC: A crowded town hall mirrored the crowded agenda for the May 6th Town Board meeting. Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Miltich lead the meeting in Mayor Woody Washam’s absence. Events, a retirement celebration, and public hearings filled the agenda.
A large audience attended the May 6th meeting.
The opening formalities included a moment of silence to remember former Cornelius Fireman Newton Alexander Smith, Mooresville Police Officer Jordan Sheldon, and the two student fatalities from the shooting at UNCC.
The Town Manager’s report highlighted the Lake Norman Bike Expo (last weekend at the Bailey Road Recreation Center) and this coming weekend’s Cornelius Jazz Festival (from 5-9 at Smithville Park) on Saturday the 18th.
Congratulations on your retirement Sergeant Jeric McCorkle!
A resolution was proclaimed honoring Sergeant Jeric McCorkle’s 21 years with the Cornelius Police Department. McCorkle’s family and friends were on hand for his retirement celebration.
The first public hearing on a new “Phase 3” for The Forest at Bailey’s Glen. Many concerned parties were present to discuss the nature of the new development. Located along Bailey and Barnhardt Roads, this development would add 19 new lots and a new amenity center to the existing development.
Robert Balm, a resident, wants flooding issues resolved before any new development begins.
Attorney Ken Davies, speaking on behalf of the Burlap family that lives across from the development on 33 acres, says that this development was “incompatible” with the community noting sound issues, tree loss, and ingress/egress issues. Larry Grisweld, a broker/developer of over 25 years and current resident of The Forest, spoke up in support of the development. He stated that the design of the new phase was in keeping with similar developments. Robert Balm, a resident of the current development, urged caution and pointed out the need to correct current issues, like flooding, before any new construction begins.
The most contentious item on the agenda was the proposed construction of new townhouses at the Retreat at West Catawba. The new construction would occur near Elevation Church. The new proposal would ignore the town goal for mixed use properties in that area. Commissioner Dave Gillroy spoke against the high density of the development, saying the developer was just “jamming townhomes” to maximize profit with little regard to livability. Michael Hubert, on behalf of the developer, responded noting that it “exceeded the 20% open space requirement” by covering 28%.
Dan Hauser, one of the family members that own the land, noted that they had been trying to sell the parcel for 15 years. He requested that special consideration be given due to the health of the landowners and their lifetime of public service. All of these factors led to a vote of 4-to-1 in approval. Commissioner Kurt Naas voted for it, but made a clear statement that this was “not setting a precedent.”
The new noise ordinance was approved. Mayor Pro-Tem Miltich stated that he hopes that police will collect data on noise complaints to ensure good information for future improvements and expansions of the ordinance.
Cornelius Town Board meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 7pm in the Assembly Room at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Avenue, Cornelius, NC 28031. You can view current and past agendas as well as video streaming of the meetings on the Cornelius Town Hall website.
Brenton C. Davis: Raised in the area, I have recently returned after time spent in Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C., I hope to bring a level of attention to local matters that are important to our citizens and neighbors.
