Citizens Speak In Favor of Project
For Immediate Release 2/19/08
The Cornelius Bromont team, developers of the planned Village At Lake
Norman, presented additional expert testimony regarding their project
to the Cornelius (NC) Town Board Monday night, and numerous citizens
spoke in support of the project.
Expert testimony about the quality of projects that Bromont has
developed and built over the past 30 years was presented by Charles
MacLean III, a Phoenix AZ architect who has designed 25 multi-tenant
and mixed-use projects for Bromont and its chairman, Walt Rector.
"Many of these projects were large in size, designed to blend in with
the local community, featured extensive landscaping above underground
parking, and exhibited a high level of design detail, much as you will
see with the Village At Lake Norman," MacLean said. "You can be assured
that the new project will be of the highest quality."
Dan McGinnis, vice president of CB Richard Ellis, explained how
Cornelius's strong demographics, including an on-going population
increase of 25 percent every five years and average household income in
excess of $110,000, is very appealing to potential retail and
restaurant tenants.
"This is why we are here," McGinnis said. "And this is why some of the
leading retailers in the country are interested in being a part of this
project. We plan to bring to Cornelius high-quality, national and
regional retailers and restaurants that will be great assets to the
community."
A number of local citizens, including property owners and adjacent
businesses, spoke in favor of the project. Third-party consultants
including Rose & Associates Southeast, LandDesign and Parsons
Brinckerhoff were hired by the Town to provide objective assessment of
the project's design and plans.
"We very much appreciate the Town's due diligence, and felt that
overall the third-party consultants were quite positive about our
project and its chances for success," said Josh Rector, project manager
for Cornelius Bromont, LLC. "We also appreciate that the Town Board
extended the meeting until almost 11:30 p.m., because they are
committed to do the right thing for Cornelius, as are we. We trust that
our experts' testimony and the support of numerous local citizens
further strengthened their confidence in our Design Team, our plans,
and the many benefits this will bring the Town."
The next Town Board meeting in the review process will be at 7 p.m.
Monday, March 3, in Town Hall, focusing on the financial aspects of the
Village At Lake Norman.
--------------------------------------------
[Media Contact: Buck Lawrimore, 704-332-4344,
Email: Buck (at) Lciweb.com]
