BY STACIE LETT CAIN 

The Mooresville Town Board of Commissioners on Monday postponed consideration of annexation and rezoning requests related to a 111-unit development planned for Black Angus Lane.

The developer requested a delay for the project, which is planned for 86 acres at 141 Black Angus Lane.

“Because of changes we made to the site plan for emergency vehicle access, we are needing to have a traffic study done,” Dan Brewer, an engineer with Bowman Consulting, told the board. “The study has been completed and has been submitted to the NCDOT, but it is still being reviewed.”

The board approved the delay despite a number of residents who attended the meeting to speak during a scheduled public hearing.

Mayor Chris Carney assured those residents who showed up to speak about the proposed development that they would be given an opportunity to share their views at the December 1 meeting.

OTHER BUSINESS

♦ Commissioners also discussed using town funds for several transportation projects being presented for grant funding.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization is a federally designated metropolitan planning organization for municipalities with populations of 50,000 or more in Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties. The primary function of the CRTPO is to carry out the transportation planning process among the member jurisdictions within the established planning area boundary.

Many of the grants awarded by CRTPO require matching funds from the jurisdiction applying for the grants and the amount of that match was a concern for Board member Lisa Qualls.

“When applying for these grants, part of the scoring is what the local community match is,” she explained. “The norm is 20 percent and if you really want the project to be awarded a grant, you move the match up, increasing the community dollars invested.”

But with a proposed one-cent sales tax to fund road improvements on the November 4 ballot in Mecklenburg County, Qualls is concerned that the increase in discretionary funds available to Charlotte could make it more difficult for the Town of Mooresville to receive funding from the CRTPO.

“If the one-cent tax passes in Mecklenburg County, they will have the monies to boost their projects through the discretionary grant programs,” she warned. “They will have a whole lot more money to boost projects so this may be our last chance to get one of our projects through this process.”

One of the several projects being looked out for a CRTPO grant is the widening of Talbert Road.

Qualls proposed increasing the town’s match for project from 20 percent to 30 percent.

“If we can’t get this project through the grant program the reality is, it will not be done,” she explained. “Without grant money we would not be able to do it.”

The motion passed the board unanimously.

♦ Assistant Town Manager Ron Rase also advised the Board that the speed limit along Rocky River Road has been reduced by the NCDOT. from 45 mph to 35 mph

♦ The Board also approved amending Chapter 25 of the Mooresville Code of Ordinances relating to stormwater to align more with the current North Carolina Statute regarding segregated accounts for repair and maintenance of private post-construction stormwater control measures. It also voted on an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance as Chapter 27 of the Mooresville Code of Ordinances.

“This statute deals with ponds that are in place while development is ongoing and while the soil is not yet stabilized,” explained Ashton Walker, Engineering Services manager.

This part of the process is currently under Iredell County purview according to Walker and it is the only part of the development process that is not dealt with directly by the town of Mooresville.

“We are in agreement with Iredell County that this process should be placed under the control of the Town of Mooresville and that will enable us to provide a one-stop-shop for development,” Walker advised. “We believe this provides a higher level of service for our community.”

The proposed change will have to be approved by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and is slated to be decided on the agenda for their November meeting, with the start date of January 1, 2026.

“Any permits applied for through Iredell County will remain with Iredell County,” Walker advised. “We will not be taking them over. We will start receiving permit applications January 1, with administrative help from the county to train our employees in this process.”