An area near Shearers Road and Rocky River Road that has been identified for future growth for years is seeing new development plans move forward.
An earlier Iredell County Planning & Development staff report shows that the Town of Mooresville requested the release of zoning and subdivision jurisdiction for five parcels totaling approximately 21.9 acres on Shearers Road across from Rocky River Road. At the time, a portion of the area was being used for residential and legal non-conforming commercial uses, while the majority of the property was vacant. The report stated that the area was identified in Mooresville’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan as a core commercial node.
The future East-West Connector was also identified as part of the Town’s plans for the area. According to the report, plans called for the connector to eventually link I-77 to NC 3. The connection to NC 3 was planned to come out adjacent to the requested parcels on Shearers Road, aligning with and eventually connecting to Rocky River Road.
Municipal infrastructure was already available nearby. The report identified a 16-inch municipal water line along Shearers Road in front of the requested parcels on the opposite side of the street, along with an existing 8-inch gravity sewer serving municipal properties across the street.
The Iredell County staff report also noted that Mooresville planned to revisit the area for a larger jurisdiction request in the future.
Fast forward to 2026, and two parcels included in that earlier request, 4665-34-4329 and 4665-34-8735, are included in a larger EnergyUnited project involving approximately 48 acres along Owens Farm Road, Shearers Road and Evening Shade Lane. The project consists of 10 parcels.
EnergyUnited plans to construct a new Electric Utility Operations Center on the property to serve its Lake Norman area customers. Plans for the facility include office and operations space, warehousing, fleet maintenance and outdoor equipment storage. Approximately 35 EnergyUnited employees and 15 to 20 contractors are expected to work at the facility.
EnergyUnited Vice President Steve McCachern told the Mooresville Board of Commissioners that the cooperative’s existing Cornelius facility was built in the 1980s when it served approximately 4,500 customers in the area. EnergyUnited now serves more than 45,000 customers in the area.
On May 4, 2026, the Mooresville Board of Commissioners approved conditional rezoning for the approximately 48-acre property to Conditional Hybrid Light Industrial. The project also involved voluntary annexation and utility extension requests.
The East-West Connector continues to be part of Mooresville’s transportation plans. Phase II is planned to extend approximately 2.6 miles east from NC 115 to Shearers Road, where it would intersect across from Rocky River Road. The planned route also crosses Midway Lake Road before reaching Shearers Road.
Phase II is separate from the portion of the East-West Connector currently being constructed farther west. The Town has also continued preparations for Phase II, including property acquisition associated with the future corridor.
The earlier Iredell County report and the more recent EnergyUnited project provide a look at how plans for the Shearers Road and Rocky River Road area have continued to develop over time.
