August 15. (Opinion) In the August 2024 issue of Cornelius Today, there was an article about Old Canal Street discussing the sinkhole problem. This street has another problem: it was not designed or suitable for the volume of traffic between Catawba Ave and South Street. From my traffic experience, I knew that the North Carolina Department of Transportation had recognized the need for an alternate connection and placed it in close proximity to the Antiquity Greenway, negatively impacting it.
The simultaneous conditional zoning of the OMB and Caroline properties across the ravine presented a unique opportunity. It allowed for the construction of a road that could run off the Antiquity Greenway. Obtaining the right-of-way for a full connection is very unusual – it is usually obtained piecemeal and over decades as individual parcels come to market. Therefore, I directed City staff to work with the developers to obtain and donate the required right-of-way (ROW) for the full connection as a condition of zoning approval.
The hole in the ground at the Old Canal | Archive photo from 2018
The developers greatly appreciated the value of the Greenway and were willing to protect it. The road was also designed to be a preferred route over Old Canal Street. I am happy to report that the City now owns this important contiguous ROW. Since the City owns this ROW and this road is built by the developers (only about 30% of approved roads are implemented), the City, or even the North Carolina Department of Transportation, this will be where the connection will be, preserving the wonderful Antiquity development and the Greenway.
In the same issue, Planning Director Rox Burhans is quoted as saying that zoning decisions last a lifetime (or longer). I agree, as stated above.
Michael Miltich
Decisions regarding conditional zoning must be made carefully, taking multiple aspects into account and weighing all the pros and cons. The goal is to find the best possible solution for all parties.
—Michael “Dr. Mike Miltich
Former interim mayor of the city of Cornelius, former chairman of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization
