CORNELIUS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- A complex with 16 pickleball courts and a restaurant is coming to Cornelius.

The town’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved The Serve Pickleball + Kitchen from a prominent local business owner at Monday night’s meeting. The 6.3-acre property is in between Lake Norman Chrysler and LIFE Fellowship Church on Chartown Drive.

Serve will include 10 indoor courts and six outdoor courts for the fast-growing sport. In an effort to mitigation impact on the Magnolia Estates neighborhood behind the property, the developer has agreed to use Acton Herculean PB Pro pour and pad flooring system and a 10-foot-tall fence with sound reduction material. Further, the outdoor courts will be closer to Chartown Drive.

“We think this is a fantastic asset,” said real estate attorney Larry Shaheen. “It’s something we hope will be a recreational jewel to bring more businesses and jobs to the town of Cornelius. We’ve done everything possible that mitigation efforts are going to be effective.”

The outdoor lights will be limited to 22 feet, lower than those typically found in parking lots, Planning Director Rox Burhans said. Outdoor play will be limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The property was kept by former Lake Norman Chrysler owner Jack Salzman when he sold the dealership to the Parks Automotive Group in January 2023. It was initially acquired in 2021.

Shaheen said Salzman's team will be moving dirt within two to three weeks.

"We’re not wasting any time," he said.

The Chartown corridor has been a hotbed of commercial development over the last few years. Earlier this month, reverse-logistics company Registix presented its plans to build a headquarters there, and a luxury car club also is on the way.

Pickleball has proven to be especially popular in the north Mecklenburg area. There are more dedicated courts coming to Holbrook Park in Huntersville, plus plans for them at Bailey Park.