85,000 SF Gateway Development Project Planned for Downtown Mooresville
MOORESVILLE – The developers of a planned 85,000 square-foot mixed-use project on South Main Street say their goal is to bring a “wow factor” to what will become a gateway to downtown and begin to bridge a development gap between the historic mill area and traditional town core.
“We’re in love with this old downtown area and what’s going on here,” Vinny Giglio, a partner at Mooresville-based MV2 Investments, told town board members last month in a virtual meeting. “We’ve got this big plan in place for old downtown just like you do, and we’re trying to do it with a lot of heart involved in our designs and with a real strategic plan of what kind of assets we’re going to deliver to the area and why.”
Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning for the 2.14-acre property, just south of the What-A-Burger restaurant, that clears the way for a four-story structure with 10,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 82 apartments on the upper floors.
And while the property’s Town Center District designation does not require the developer to include on-site parking, MV2 is planning a lot with 101 spaces behind the building.
Mooresville Planning Director Danny Wilson said the project’s layout, with the building close to the street and the parking lot out of view, is the right fit for the area. “It makes it feel like a downtown, an urban feel, with the parking behind the building so it will be hidden from Main Street,” he explained.
The terrain slopes downward from the street to the rear of the property, which will further hide the parking lot and allow for a basement that will function as a fifth floor, project architect (and former Cornelius mayor) Chuck Travis noted during the virtual presentation to commissioners.
Four vacant homes – dating back to the turn of the 20th century – will be razed to make way for the project.
Giglio said his firm has spent two years coming up with the right concept for the property.
“We’ve got a real responsibility to this particular site because, as you drive up from the south side onto Main Street, we are now going to be the first (large) building you see,” he said. “We take that very seriously. We have a specific look. We plan to spend more money to make sure this has a ‘wow factor.’ When you drive into downtown, you’re gonna say, ‘wow.’ When you walk by this property or interact with the commercial space, you’re going to really enjoy the experience.”
Giglio said the first-floor commercial space likely will be divided into small office suites. The apartments, most of which are expected to be large studio and one-bedroom units, will likely be aimed at tenants 55 and older but not age-restricted, he added.
Work is underway on the $18 million Mill One project, which will include ground-floor retail space and 90 market-rate apartments along Church Street, just a few blocks from the South Main Street site.
The firm’s 72-unit North Main Village complex was completed in fall of 2019, and construction is well underway on the $18 million Mill One project, which will include ground-floor retail space and 90 market-rate apartments along Church Street, just a few blocks from the South Main Street site.
The Church Street project is at the edge of the recently upgraded Liberty Park, on the site of Mooresville’s first mill.
Giglio added that MV2 has other downtown-area plans in the works, including one offering “attainable housing” with lower rent.
“We’re trying to get in there now when we can put our touches on these things and make it to our standards before someone else comes in and does something that’s maybe a little different,” Giglio said in explaining his company’s Mooresville strategy.
He added that he and his partners want their projects to help inspire a reimagined identity for the town that harkens to its roots.
“I think a lot of people now, when they think about Mooresville, they think of the lake,” Giglio explained. “In the future, when people say Mooresville, we want them to think ‘old downtown.’ It’s a charming town. There’s so much potential here. And we want it to be the cool place to be.”
Deem, John, “Downtown Development Aims for ‘Wow Factor’ | Mooresville Citizen.” Mooresville.lakenormanpublications.com, 5 Feb. 2021.
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