CORNELIUS, N.C. — Cornelius could see more growth soon. A major development project went before the town commissioners this past week. The plan includes a 6-story multi-use building.
Over the last decade, the town has changed quite a bit. Geoff Roscoe is the general manager of the Thigs cocktail bar and said he's seen the change firsthand.
“When I first came here, I thought I was at the wrong exit because it was just farmland," Roscoe said. “Just the amount of growth I’ve seen has been amazing.”
Sitting next to Thigs is a plot of land with a lot of promise. It's a nearly three-acre spot proposed for mixed-use development. Roscoe said a lot of businesses are on board with the development because it will be a beneficial domino effect.
“The more that’s happening around us, the more other things that come in, more people, the more business we see," he said.
WCNC Charlotte spoke to residents who said the growth is not surprising. UNC's Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise shared a recent study by the American Growth Project, which showed Charlotte ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing cities in America. That growth is bleeding into surrounding suburbs like Cornelius.
Mike Hege, a real estate agent in the area, said the area is appealing to buyers, but the growth comes with growing pains.
"From five years ago to today, we’ve seen a massive growth in development," Hege said. "In general, the area has gone up 30% in the past few years.”
This could leave long-time Cornelius residents hesitant.
"A lot of things you hear is the traffic and the parking and all that, but they are in the process of getting that all figured out," Roscoe said.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.