As the members of the Cornelius Town Board of Commissioners ushered in the town’ spaperless era by following a 210-page agenda on their new iPads, Senior Planner Jason Abernethy led them through a 145-page draft that is Phase 4 of the town’s comprehensive masterplan, titled — appropriately enough, given their technological travels — “Navigate Cornelius.”

The over arching message of all the “theme groups” that helped shape the plan, Abernethy reported, was that they wanted Cornelius to remain a small town that embraces the uniqueness of a lake-oriented community and continues its trek toward self-sustainment, while acknowledging that it is still a part of a metropolitan region, and embracing the best of what both worlds provide.

“One of the things that took on a life of its own is (the) Community Services” theme group, said Abernethy. “They really focused on what they can do to build ... a stronger sense of community without necessarily relying on the town to do things for the community as a governmental agency. Maybe create a foundation so if they want a greenway trail, maybe organizing a fundraising effort and really taking ownership of that effort themselves. That was, in my opinion, something significant from a group of citizens that I did not expect to come out of this process.”

During the town board’s budget and planning retreat in February, some commissioners and staff mentioned that another theme arising from the committees of citizens who are helping craft the comprehensive master plan was that Cornelius needs to focus more on itself not only as a brand, but also as a unique part of a greater region rather than simply being lumped into a homogenous group of bedroom communities to Charlotte. That philosophy somewhat flies in the face of those who promote regionalism, but the tenor — which was reflected at the retreat by the frequently used phrase “the Cornelius way” — was palpable.

To help define the Cornelius way, the theme groups relied in part on research conducted on 29 “model cities” ranging from as far away as Palo Alto, Calif., to as close as Mooresville; from as swanky as Beverly Hills, Calif., to as down-home as Belmont in Gaston County.

Joked Commissioner Dave Gilroy, “I’m surprised to see Mooresville, North Carolina, on this list. I’m shocked if we haven’t already learned all we need to know about Mooresville.”

Explained Abernethy, the presence of a successful community center there made the town relevant to the study groups.

Abernethy also told commissioners that among the key elements of the plan were:

• Growth pressure.

• Community gathering places.

• Public access to Lake Norman.

• Transportation.

• Character and identity.

• Centers of opportunity.

Employment and shopping.

Gilroy noted that the plan to date did not address transportation initiatives relative to the proposed Red Line commuter rail, and the surface transportation needs that would result should the train service become a reality. Commissioner Lynette Rinker noted that for the past decade, “Everything has been eastward looking toward the rail. ... If the rail comes, it’s another mode of transportation. We’re not focusing on that. ... Our underpinning of the plan is not on the rail but on a number of different modes of transportation. If the rail comes, The town is prepared to deal with it, but it was not a focus of the master plan.”

Parkway plan

Regional transportation, however, did take center stage following the draft comprehensive master plan presentation. Commissioner Chuck Travis, the town’s elected representative on the Lake Norman Transportation Commission (LNTC), discussed a proposed route for a north-south “parkway,” which would offer an alternative automotive thoroughfare to I-77, U.S. 21 and N.C.115. The parkway, from southern Mooresville to I-485, is an initiative spawned by the January 2010 Urban Land Institute assessment of regional transportation needs, an effort that was commissioned by the LNTC.

Travis described it as a “stick a flag in the ground and declare victory” moment as planning for the parkway, upwards of a half-century process, has begun in earnest as theoretical lines become hopeful lines on a map.

“The idea behind the parkway was to help recreate the center of the community,” Travis told commissioners, adding that the “centers” of the Lake Norman towns have shifted westward from their origins, along the exits of I-77. “The parkway can help us re-center our community.”

The proposed parkway indeed refocuses emphasis on the areas between N.C. 115 and the Norfolk Southern rail line, and a new route winding through the countryside that is eastern north Mecklenburg.

The ULI Parkway Plan calls for a four-lane thoroughfare along what is essentially the Prosperity Church Road Extension between the future and final leg of I-485, where a round about just south of N.C. 73 would split the thoroughfare into two, two-lane roads, one heading northwest into downtown Davidson along what is currently Davidson-Concord Road and another north, along Shearer Road, skirting the Cabarrus County line before turning northwest to just south of downtown Mooresville.

The split roads will be two-lane, divided roads with a median, just like the four-lane portion between the roundabout and I-485.

“What really makes this possible is I-485 and the interchange at Prosperity Church Road,” said Travis. Splitting that parkway into two, two-lane roads north of the Huntersville roundabout “allowed Davidson to buy into the concept of two lanes rather than four lanes through rural preservation areas,” he added.

Declaring victory is one thing. An actual road is another. Efforts are under way now to develop a 50-year comprehensive transportation plan for the parkway, eventually moving it to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s 25-year long-range transportation plan, then to the seven-year transportation improvement plan, and finally to a five-year work plan.

How long it all actually takes, as with most new road projects, is unknown. But, Travis added, it first has to show up on a map in Raleigh as a real project.

Other business

On Monday, Cornelius commissioners unanimously approved, following a public hearing, a conditional rezoning allowing an expansion of Discovery Village Daycare at 20101 Knox Road. The two-story expansion would take the facility from its current 3,204 square feet to 6,568 square feet and permit as many as 65 students on site at any one time. Eighteen additional parking spaces are also required for the expansion.

On July 19, 2004, the town board permitted a maximum 5,000-square-foot facility.

Staff determined the expansion would result in no significant increase in traffic and would have minimal, if any, impact in the surrounding neighborhood.

Also on Monday:

• Commissioners unanimously approved a request by Abernethy to secure an outside consultant to help prepare an Exit 28 small area plan, which could cost upwards of $60,000. Abernethy convinced commissioners, including a skeptical Gilroy, that outside professional help was necessary to tackle the complexities of not only the impact of the coming diverging diamond interchange at Catawba Avenue, but its effect on land use as far as two miles away.

“It’s going to have to be a little more detailed than just what we’ve done before,” Abernethy said.

The motion caps the expenditure at $60,000, but Town Manager Anthony Roberts said whatever the cost for the consultant, he would come to the board with a budget amendment if it requires more than funds than currently budgeted for Planning Department expenditures.

• Commissioners unanimously approved salary range adjustments for town staff. Among other things, the new scale adjusts police officer pay, increasing the minimum for Police Officer I from $21,866 — called impractical by Police Chief Bence Hoyle — to $35,000 and the maximum from $48,075 to $57,500. It also creates salary scales for new designations of Police Officer II and Police Officer III. It also sets maximum levels of pay for ranking officers far enough above veteran officers to help address salary compression issues Hoyle brought to the board during the February retreat.

• The board cancelled, but did not reschedule, the next town board meeting that would have fallen on Monday, July 4. The next meeting of the Cornelius Town Board will be Monday, July 18.