Developers outline 885,000‑sq‑ft industrial park on Barfield Road; planning board sends conditional rezoning to Town Board amid traffic questions

The Mooresville Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a conditional rezoning that would allow up to 885,000 square feet of industrial development across four buildings on a 135.15‑acre site off Barfield Road, sending CZ‑2026‑01 to the Town Board for final consideration.

Staff described the project as a request to rezone the property from county residential agricultural to conditional hybrid light industrial with concurrent annexation. Planning staff emphasized environmental and public‑infrastructure conditions: the site is in a WSIV critical watershed (50% maximum impervious surface), the applicant proposes roughly 35.53% impervious coverage, and the concept commits to more than 13 acres of dedicated tree canopy or open space and to constructing public roadway connections from Cornelius Road to Barfield Road.

Applicant Sarah Bon said the team has limited the project’s uses to exclude data centers and described a public benefit in the conditions: "We will construct and dedicate a new wastewater lift station to the town," she told the board. The project concept includes architectural commitments, 50‑foot perimeter buffers, and a staged layout the applicants said would provide visual and grade separation from adjacent homes.

Traffic and timing were central questions. The applicant’s traffic engineer, Dyron Capers, gave peak‑hour estimates used in the Traffic Impact Analysis: "In the AM peak hour, we're looking at 242 vehicles entering the site, 58 exiting. ... In the afternoon, 66 trips entering the site, and 234 exiting," he said, noting those numbers derive from trip‑generation formulas tied to building square footage and loading‑dock counts. Project representatives said the mitigation measures required by the TIA and an agreed Mitigation Measures Agreement (MMA) will be rolled into conditions; staff and the applicant said that off‑site improvements and required right‑of‑way acquisitions must be addressed before certificates of occupancy are issued.

Several neighbors spoke during public comment. Adjacent landowner Brian Mills said the project appeared "well thought‑out" but urged additional turn‑lane options on Barfield Road to reduce afternoon cut‑through traffic. Resident Christopher Lee criticized the rezoning proposal as "spot zoning" and warned of noise and reduced property values, telling the board he had not received notice of a neighborhood meeting. Town counsel and staff responded that the applicant provided abutters lists and meeting notices and that conditional zoning, while site specific, is a lawful zoning mechanism.

Developers and staff clarified timelines and mitigation steps. Project representatives said construction for the buildings could begin as early as late summer (subject to permitting) and expect an approximate 18‑month construction timeline with delivery targeted in early 2028 for initial buildings; DOT right‑of‑way acquisition related to a nearby interchange was described as anticipated to begin in 2028 with construction in the early 2030s.

After extended discussion of mitigation, buffers, and community concerns, a board member moved to recommend approval of CZ‑2026‑01, noting alignment with the town’s broader framework for employment near the Cornelius Road corridor. The motion carried and the board forwarded a recommendation of approval to the Town Board.

What happens next: The recommendation will be included in the Town Board packet; required mitigation measures (MMA) and off‑site improvements are conditions that staff said must be satisfied prior to building COs according to the agreed terms.