Charlotte will reimburse Cornelius for upgrades to Smithville water lines
Charlotte City Council advanced the next phase in the Smithville revitalization plan on Monday, unanimously agreeing to replace water lines across the historically Black neighborhood in Cornelius.
The city agreed to reimburse an estimated $3 million in construction fees for the water system project. The City Council passed the item by unanimous vote and without discussion.
Cornelius endorsed the revitalization plan in 2022, which seeks to modernize the area and fix problems stemming from long-term neglect. The plan calls for infrastructure improvements and the construction of new townhouses, affordable apartments and single-family homes.
Public water lines, sidewalks and storm water drains were part of the first phase of the project. Those upgrades got delayed over a years-long funding dispute.
The council’s vote puts that revitalization vision back on track.
“I am extremely excited for our community. These are some improvements that have not been made over the past 60 years, so they are very well deserved,” said Lisa Mayhew-Jones, executive director of the Smithville CommUNITY Coalition. The coalition created the revitalization plan now guiding the community’s development. “It should have happened a long time ago, but I am grateful that at least it is now starting.”
Smithville is the largest intact historically Black community in Mecklenburg County, and it hosts the largest concentration of Black residents in Cornelius, according to the coalition. It has a population of about 200 people.
The neighborhood has long fought for equitable infrastructure, having languished at the hands of segregation and federal housing policies. Founded in 1910, Smithville went decades without water or sewer lines. The men in the community dug trenches to make way for the first pipes, which finally came in 1968, Mayhew-Jones said.
The pipes haven’t been upgraded since.
Cornelius town commissioners unanimously approved their end of the interlocal agreement for water system improvements earlier this month, Cornelius Today reported. The town plans to simultaneously start construction on roadway improvements.
Mayhew-Jones anticipates the first three new houses will finish construction by the end of summer. Existing residents will be relocated into those houses.
