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Mooresville council tables rezoning request for Mudworks at 51 East High Street
Summary
After hearing a detailed presentation from the property owner about converting Mudworks into a small cafe with a commercial kitchen, the Mooresville Town Council voted to table the rezoning request so owners can work with staff on use limits, occupancy and enforceable recorded restrictions.
The Mooresville Town Council on Jan. 6, 2026, heard a request to rezone 51 East High Street — the Mudworks pottery studio — from its current status to B-1 commercial so the owner could install a commercial kitchen and operate a small cafe. The owner told the council the building has "been operating as a business for 25 years" and described plans to add a cafe space, classes and expanded parking to sustain the operation.
Council members repeatedly framed their concerns around permanence and public-safety impacts. One council member warned, "Zoning's forever," and expressed worry that once property is rezoned to B-1 the full range of permitted B-1 uses would become allowed on the site in perpetuity. Several members raised traffic and alley egress issues because the property sits near a funeral home and a narrow alley; they questioned whether one-way traffic or other physical changes would be feasible to address safety.
Staff and council also discussed alternatives to full rezoning. Planning staff noted a use variance or a recorded instrument limiting permitted uses could be enforceable if properly recorded, and said the Board of Zoning Appeals would have to make the finding that any variance would not be injurious to public health, safety and welfare. The owner and a supporting speaker asked whether the town could record restrictions that would allow only a small cafe/deli use and cap occupancy to reduce traffic concerns.
Given outstanding questions about enforceability, occupancy limits, and the planning commission timeline, the council voted to table the matter so the applicant can work with town staff and provide clearer, recordable language that limits future uses and defines the cafe footprint. The motion to table was made by Josh Kirk and was seconded and carried; the vote was recorded as "Aye."
The council directed staff to research whether recorded instruments limiting future permitted uses would be enforceable and to advise whether occupancy or square-footage limits could be attached to a rezoning or a recorded agreement. The matter will return to the council after that follow-up work and further applicant submittal.
The council took no final action on the rezoning request at the Jan. 6 meeting.
