Roughly 75 Cornelius residents pressed town officials on truck traffic, tree clearing and a potential Wegmans store at a Wednesday, Sept. 23, State of the Town meeting.
The event at the Cain Center for the Arts featured a 50-minute presentation on department updates followed by 50 minutes of questions, Cornelius Today first reported.
Washam Potts Road and speed limits
Multiple residents flagged heavier traffic and larger trucks on Washam Potts Road. Signs that once banned trucks from the road are no longer posted, attendees said. Town officials said they would investigate the missing signs.
Commissioner Rob Carney, who lives in the area, said the road is on the town's radar. "We have to start thinking about what happens on Washam Potts because the traffic is going to become a very big problem," Carney said.
Commissioner Mike Osborne said the town's Transportation Advisory Board will study whether to recommend that NCDOT lower speed limits on certain roads. A 45 mph limit made sense when Cornelius was rural, Osborne said, but the town has changed.
Commissioner Scott Higgins noted that most major thoroughfares in Cornelius are controlled by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), limiting the town's ability to act quickly.
West Catawba tree clearing
Residents also pressed officials about tree clearing along West Catawba Avenue. Officials said the project is led by NCDOT and utility companies and will take a full year to complete.
Trees sit in the footprint of a planned road and sidewalk expansion, officials said, and in the path of power lines. Burying the lines was deemed cost-prohibitive more than a decade ago. The town is researching NCDOT funding for landscaping once the widening is finished, though nothing is guaranteed.
Commissioner Susan Johnson said the town is reviewing its buffering laws for developers to find ways to reduce tree clearing tied to construction.
The West Catawba widening was originally scheduled to start in 2018. It is now set to begin in 2028, Cornelius Today reported in August, citing NCDOT's website.
Development and Wegmans
Commissioner Colin Furcht said development approved in neighboring towns is beyond Cornelius' control, despite open communication with those municipalities.
Carney said the last three Cornelius boards have not approved any high-density development, at the behest of voters. Current multifamily projects were approved years ago. The town is hiring an economic development manager to pursue commercial growth, he said.
When the crowd was asked by show of hands who opposed a potential Wegmans near Atrium Health Lake Norman on N.C. 21, only one hand went up. That resident said the town has "enough grocery stores." Wegmans signed a purchase agreement with Atrium Health for property near the hospital, the Charlotte Observer reported. As we reported Sept. 27, the deal covers land off Statesville and Westmoreland roads near Interstate 77.
Planning Director Rox Burhans said the town has no plans to buy the dormant Foamex plant at N.C. 115 and Bailey Road, a brownfield site with potential contamination from past industrial use.
Smithville revitalization
Right-of-way acquisition for the Smithville revitalization project is nearing completion, officials said. Town Manager Andrew Grant said he expects bidding on sidewalk and road improvements to begin in 2027. That timeline has shifted from earlier projections of summer 2026. Cornelius and Mecklenburg County have each committed $3 million to the effort.
Full video of the State of the Town event is available on the Town of Cornelius Facebook page.
