Planning board recommends rezoning for 12,100-sq-ft daycare at 171 West Waterland Road

The Mooresville Planning Board on an advisory vote recommended approval of conditional rezoning CC2024-15 to allow a one-story early learning center at 171 West Waterland Road.

The request, presented by town planning staff, would rezone the 9.53-acre site owned by Red Apple at Mooresville LLC from Residential Low Intensity (RLI) to Conditional Corridor Mixed Use (CCM) and, if annexed, place it in voting Ward 1. Planning staff said the proposal is for a single-story, roughly 12,100-square-foot Prodigi Early Learning Center with associated parking, drop-off lanes and three secured playgrounds.

Staff said the proposed plan limits allowable uses on the site to daycare, community center, cultural facility, religious assembly, K–12 school, conference/training/event center, office, indoor recreation and entertainment, and related accessory uses. The applicant will be required to provide 10% open space under the proposed conditions; the existing RLI zone generally requires 15–25% depending on project type, the staff presentation noted. The property sits inside a critical-area watershed; under the high-density option staff said impervious surface would be limited to 50%.

Planning staff highlighted four conditions that would be attached to the rezoning ordinance. One condition would require the developer to construct a vehicular connection between the proposed parking lot and an existing parking-lot stub for the adjacent Hawthorne at Waterstone apartment property, and to dedicate a cross-access easement prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy (the connection was shown in staff materials and referenced as map book 74, page 59 of the Iredell County Register of Deeds). Staff recommended approval, saying the request is consistent with the Town of Mooresville comprehensive plan’s employment-center character area.

Todd Lucas, owner’s representative and developer with Lucas Development, told the board the business operating the facility would be Prodigi Early Learning Center Morrisville and described the educational philosophy, outdoor emphasis and flexibility of the emergent curriculum. Lucas said the building would be single-story and that the project team had completed a traffic study; he said his client will build a left-turn lane onto West Waterland Road and will construct the vehicular connection to the adjacent apartment parking stub. Lucas also said the center’s licensed capacity would be “I think, 200 is the max.”

No members of the public made in-person comments during the hearing. Planning staff told the board that one resident emailed a request—not in attendance—asking the town to study speed humps on West Waterland Road because of perceived speeding and past vehicle incidents; staff accepted the submission into the public-comment record.

Board members asked about sidewalks and building height; planning staff and the applicant confirmed the concept plan shows a single-story building and sidewalks along the project frontage tied to the proposed left-turn lane work. The developer also noted retention of much of the site’s trees and vegetation beyond the dedicated play areas.

Planning Board member Michael Hooper moved that the board recommend that the Town Board approve CZ 2024-15 to rezone the site to CCM with the agreed conditions, saying the request is consistent with opportunities described for the employment-center character area. Planning Board member (Ms.) Markwal seconded the motion. The chair called for a voice vote; the motion carried and the board recommended approval to the Town Board (advisory recommendation: motion carried, no roll-call tallies recorded in the transcript).

The rezoning will next be considered by the Mooresville Town Board where final approval, annexation and the ordinance to establish the conditional district would be decided.