CORNELIUS, N.C. — During a public meeting Tuesday, people in Cornelius had harsh words for a developer who wants to build a new hotel complex near their neighborhood.
“You should’ve gone to Charlotte if you wanted to live in a city,” one concerned neighbor said. “When I came to Huntersville, there was a Burger King here, that was it. There was nothing else. It was nice.”
The developer has filed a rezoning request for just over six acres of property at Mayes and Sam Furr Roads to build a hotel complex. The proposed “Cornelius Inn” would include a 45-room hotel with a spa and 10 rental cottages, but neighbors say they are concerned about the increase in traffic this would bring to an already busy area.
“Our infrastructure cannot handle anymore traffic,” Noelle Burton, who lives in the area, said. “The roadways are horrible in this area.”
The developer, Jake Palillo, says he is trying to improve the quality of life for people in the community by bringing in money. Palillo is the same developer behind the failed Lagoona Bay project in Huntersville.
Another public meeting will be held in May to allow residents to provide feedback directly to the town board.
VIDEO: Rezoning request for hotel complex sparks debate on growth and traffic
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