Downtown Master Plan

Questioned how trucks and buses would be rerouted if Catawba closes for a festival street and called the proposed Academy/Smith Circle roundabout impractical; welcomed federal funding for Exit 27 engineering.

Said the plan doesn't consider the people it would displace from her Pine Street neighborhood and asked the Board to include existing residents.

Spoke for her daughter, asking that all alternatives be considered before displacement and describing ripple effects on businesses, commutes, and families.

Asked what happens to her Town Square condo property if the 115 realignment and Red Line go through it, and whether eminent domain is possible.

A Hough High teacher whose home appears in demolition diagrams on plan pages 52, 56, 60, 61; asked the Board to remove the diagrams or formally name the properties, warning they'll depress sale values.

Supported the plan as better than no plan, and asked for placemaking priority, property owner buy-in, structural honesty, flexibility, downtown-only branding, and CMS engagement.

Thanked staff for responsiveness; urged equal consideration of all funding strategies on page 107, noting MSDs typically rely on ad valorem tax nonprofits don't pay.

Said her Mulberry Townhome is her retirement security and asked for a formal homeowner impact analysis and an explicit anti-displacement commitment before redevelopment.

Challenged the Board on planning for property it doesn't own, said the plan would force her to disclose a material fact hurting any sale, and asked to put her community back into the plan.

Described her Pine Street home's walkability and asked how the Board will protect residents from low-ball developer offers once the plan lists their properties.

A long-time North Main Street owner described town code obstacles to building a garage and urged practical, business-friendly implementation.

Spoke for Smithfield: sees benefits (sidewalks, lighting, history recognition) but wants no new cut-throughs without input, protection of the Smithfield Revitalization Plan, and priority for legacy residents in new housing.

Warned that future officials or NCDOT/CATS could use the plan's graphics as an eminent domain blueprint, calling inclusion of the diagrams reckless.

Supported the plan but worried about traffic diverted onto Washam Potts and McCall roads near Legion Park, asking for child and pedestrian safety measures; wants vacant downtown buildings filled.

Asked that public safety stay a priority with a strong, visible police presence downtown however the station configuration moves forward.

Said her 15-unit townhome community is missing from the plan, that agents and attorneys say the draft alone hurts resale values, and asked for better-staggered engagement events.

Asked for published traffic counts on Washam, Church, Academy and Beard Streets and demanded explicit eminent-domain compensation language covering relocation and lost opportunity costs.

Drawing on the early-2000s Catawba Avenue debate, encouraged the board to make a forward-looking decision and adopt a plan, saying no plan is perfect for everyone.

Asked whether residences inside downtown mixed-use zones could be subjected to MSD tax assessments based on highest-and-best use; the mayor committed to follow up.

Said the plan creates traffic, opposed extending Academy Street given the Smith Circle dead end, and asked that the Academy portion be tabled until CMS commits to a firm plan.

Also opposed the Academy extension and asked how tractor-trailers would be rerouted during any Catawba Avenue closure given insufficient side-street rights-of-way.

Strongly opposed closing Catawba Avenue for street fairs, calling it the town's primary arterial to I-77, and warned against sacrificing small-town character.

Urged the board to keep listening to residents of old town Cornelius about the proposed Downtown Master Plan.