BoatYard | Photo by Jason Benavides
Sept. 17. By Dave Vieser. Developer Jake Palillo has plans for Boatyard Lake Norman, the 3.4 acre outdoor music venue at the corner of Westmoreland and Hwy 21/Statesville Road, which would turn the site into an automotive services complex with a convenience store and gas pumps, a car wash, multiple detailing options and an oil/lube facility.
The proposed redevelopment, which would require rezoning, goes before the Cornelius Pre-development Review Committee (PDRC) tomorrow, Sept. 19.
The PDRC acts as an advisory group, providing feedback developers before they file their formal rezoning applications with the town.
Quotable
Reached Wednesday morning, Palillo said the site is under contract with the current owner, Old Swan Development. “Assuming we receive zoning approval from the town, I would like to have the car wash facility open by late next year,” he said. Palillo also envisions that this will be one in a series of similar car wash facilities he would open in the region.
The contract price was not disclosed.
Background 
Palillo is one of the most prolific and noteworthy developers in North Mecklenburg with projects like Bailey’s Glen in Cornelius and Symphony Park in Huntersville under his belt as well as multimillion-dollar lakefront estates.
But plans for a “Crystal Lagoon” sank in Huntersville when residents turned out against the proposed development which included condos and retail along Hwy. 73 near Westmoreland on what is now farmland.
BoatYard launch
The BoatYard property is a landmark in Cornelius, having opened in the 1970s as a boat dealership until ultimately closing with inventory still inside. Members of the Stockwell family purchased it in 2016 for $1.7 million, opening it as BoatYard Eats in 2018.
When it first opened, the facility generated numerous complaints from many neighbors regarding loud music. The town worked with the business owners and neighbors to address those concerns, including the adoption of new town sound ordinances.
The food, beverage and live entertainment business changed hands in 2020, but the property remained in the hands of Old Swan Development, where members of the Stockwell family are members of the LLC.
The visionary behind BoatYard Eats was David Stockwell who passed away in May of 2023 at the age of 42.
Bouk Management owner Chris Boukedes took over operation of the venue in 2020, and it has hosted an increasing, steady stream of live entertainment since.
Boukedes could not be reached for comment.
Attend the meeting
The PDRC meeting is scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm Thursday Sept. 19, in Room 204 at Town Hall on Catawba Avenue. It is open to the public.
Nooooooooooooo!!!! At least do something cooler with the place. We need more places to go like this and not more carwashes
Posted by Laura Sigler | September 18, 2024, 1:44 pmI bet you can’t hear BYE from Blakely Shores Drive over on the lake. Those of us who live closer to BYE will be ECSTATIC at the mere possibility of closing this loud, drunken party house filled with people intent on drinking and driving after they leave.
Maybe we can get a overly loud bar with too many screaming people and crappy music to move into your neighborhood? Would you be good with that?
Posted by TroyToYou | September 18, 2024, 2:21 pmRawr. Calm down, cowboy. I didn’t say another music venue or a loud venue or even keep it open until wee hours of the night. Just something other than another gas station/car wash. I loved that it was so kid friendly with food. Gave us parents with small kids a place to go. There is nothing like that here for parents with small kids. Regardless, NO need to attack me or call out where I supposedly live on a public forum. On another note, why are you creepin’ on me and think you know where I live?! That’s weird. You can borrow one of my Xanax if needed. I think you need it. Take the whole bottle.
Posted by Laura Sigler | September 18, 2024, 3:10 pmI wish Jake Palillo would go back to NY(or wherever he came from).Why does he seem to think that Cornelius or Huntersville need more continuous redevelopment? Maybe think about re-imaging places south,east and west of the city. They just may seem to like Jake’s ideas.
Posted by Marion | September 19, 2024, 12:09 amHow did this meeting go? Are there meeting minutes ?
Posted by Edgar | September 21, 2024, 8:13 amSo you are fine with ttraffic noise and speeding vehicles, but a weekend venue that draws folks from across the contiguous ccounties is a problem?
I guess we are not on the same page đ!
Posted by Bill | September 18, 2024, 9:45 pmFeel free to move, sweetie.
Posted by Fyourself | September 19, 2024, 10:51 amPalillo should go somewhere else and invest his money. We donât need anything else to âjam upâ our roads with more congestion and there is already a service station with a crash on the other corner!
Good grief! I think everyone on the board has lost their minds when it comes to approval of things unneeded and making traffic issues worse!
Posted by Anonymous | September 18, 2024, 1:46 pmHave you not seen the traffic this cesspool already creates??? There will be way less people visiting a gas station than visit the snake pit bar.
Posted by TroyToYou | September 18, 2024, 2:23 pmYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD BYE, B.Y.E.
F I N A L L Y ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Posted by TroyToYou | September 18, 2024, 2:24 pmThis will be a major loss to the community. Another trash gas station replacing an icon.
Posted by Bob Wolff | September 18, 2024, 2:44 pmLike we need another gas station, car wash, and freakin’ oil change place pahlease!!
Posted by A | September 18, 2024, 2:54 pmTroytoyou sounds like the kinda guy who turns his lights off on Halloween and watches The Grinch on repeat
Posted by Troy2U2 | September 18, 2024, 3:08 pmSeems like TROYTOYOU needs to consider leaving if he is stalking some lady and calling out where she lives…its ok that you have not had any friends invite you to a social gathering at BYE. You should try it sometime. It sounds like you could use a few cocktails to calm you down
Posted by Clint Orris | September 18, 2024, 3:12 pmI think it might be a better idea to fix that intersection first.
Do I hear of another roundabout in the future?
Let Mr. Palillo stay out of Cornelius. Did not he fail too many times with several other proposals?
Remember the movement of the confederate monument, for one.
Posted by James | September 18, 2024, 4:00 pmIck. A gas station would create way too much traffic congestion on a short street with a funky intersection that is already having trouble respecting the elementary school traffic on Westmoreland. Find another spot for redundant gas pumps, oil changes, car washes and unhealthy snacks. Let the music play!
Posted by Lori | September 18, 2024, 4:47 pmSo a business that brings plenty of REVENUE to its local workers, the town, musicians, community groups who often use the space, and the STATE (ABC License, music license, etc…) is NOT desirable??
How much does a car wash and a mechanic pour back into the community? Oh, that’s right.
We should only cater to ONE INDIVIDUAL–with plenty of tax breaks as well I’m sure– at the expense of not continuing a TRUE SMALL BUSINESS that the COMMUNITY supports and benefits from.
Posted by RL | September 18, 2024, 5:37 pmHuge loss for the community. Boat Yard is such a fun place to go and listen to live music. Typical Cornelius. Got rid of the Rudder for an upscale restaurant that no one cares about now BY will be another gas station and car wash that will create large amounts of more traffic. Another loss for Cornelius. Look at downtown Cornelius, ever other downtown is growing except Cornelius.
Posted by Rick | September 18, 2024, 5:54 pmBoatyard is the best. Hopefully they will be able to find another place to keep the good times rolling!
Posted by Alex | September 18, 2024, 6:03 pmThis guy is disgusting. He doesnât care about quality of life, he cares about finding another cash basedbusiness where he and his mob friends can launder their money.
Posted by Rachel | September 18, 2024, 6:35 pmAgree 100 percent!
Posted by Rick | September 18, 2024, 6:42 pmI wish Jake Palillo would go back to NY(or wherever he came from).Why does he seem to think that Cornelius or Huntersville need more continuous redevelopment? Maybe think about re-imaging places south,east and west of the city. They just may seem to like Jake’s ideas.
Posted by Marion | September 19, 2024, 12:08 amThe Boy He is a dirt mover and land developer. Kinda like telling a Doberman not to bark. It’s just what he do
Posted by FTF | September 19, 2024, 1:00 pmNooo!!! This is one of the only local venues to have live bands. We have enough gas stations, car washes and conviencw stores. Leave it alone!!
Posted by Walker | September 18, 2024, 8:15 pmRegardless of how you feel about Boatyard (neighbors donât like the noise). It is safe to say 100% of the town vote is NO to replacing it with a car wash/gas station/convenience store. This guy doesnât care about Cornelius and is just trying to make a buck regardless of what that business may be (ie., man made lagoon resort in a lake front town). How does the market research I assume they did make any sense? That portion of Statesville Rd already has all those services within .5-1 mile of the Boatyard location.
Posted by Dan McElroy | September 18, 2024, 10:03 pmLooks like the original developer of Boatyard died last year. Family might have to sell to settle estate and pay death tax.
Posted by Steve Huddleston | September 18, 2024, 10:23 pmLove BYE and the awesome music. I live in Virginia and come to Cornelius just for the music. You can get gas EVERYWHERE. Live music and fun are a rare commodity. Keep live music alive. We are all older and canât have too much fun!!
Posted by Andrew Cecil | September 18, 2024, 10:28 pmI wish Jake Palillo would go back to NY(or wherever he came from).Why does he seem to think that Cornelius or Huntersville need more continuous redevelopment? Maybe think about re-imaging places south,east and west of the city. They just may seem to like Jake’s ideas.
Posted by Marion | September 19, 2024, 12:16 amI totally agree! You have Mooresville, which is the countries fastest growing town, just 10 minutes north that they can develop. Itâs like they wanna turn all the suburbs like Huntersville and Cornelius into the busy city with the traffic, crime, and overcrowded schools that ultimately come along with it.
Posted by Vaughn King | September 21, 2024, 7:29 amI live in a development in Cornelius that Jake is building. Mr. Palillo seems to be unable to finish his projects. Bailey’s Glen after over a decade is not complete.(Homes with basements, Condos that are 4 years late) The Forest neighborhood of Baileys Glen has Unfinished parks, Clubhouse and common areas and impervious issues.Yet, he has time to pitch a Failed Lagoon project, The Synphony project, pitch a storage facility and now this?. Finish what you have started Jake.
Posted by FTF | September 18, 2024, 10:45 pmI couldnât agree more Cornelius town needs to understand that Jake Palillo has unhappy residents as he doesnât finish anything he starts. Just more money grabbing for himself. Finish The Forest first before you move on to the next thing!!
Posted by Marci Grebstein | September 19, 2024, 2:42 pmThis is so sad! We come from Spartanburg, SC at least once a month to hear the live music at The Boatyard. It is a great venue! We love visiting Lake Norman and losing the option to hear live music will probably end our weekend trips. I really hate that another car wash and gas station will replace it!
Posted by Cher Douglas | September 19, 2024, 8:36 amBoatyard is the largest live music venue in the Charlotte market outside of PNC and the credit union facilities uptown. Chris has done an outstanding job upgrading everything there, food, security, bathrooms etc. They attract the top tribute bands and up-and-comers in the market.People from Charlotte actually drive up here to see the bands. We should be proud to have such an option for entertainment in a market woefully underserved by a lack of diversity of restaurants Also for the haters I believe the music outside has to end by 10:30 due to codes. Its a shame Jake couldn’t come up with something better than a gas station and car wash. His reputation in the area is already terrible and this will only add to the disdain for him.
Posted by GP | September 19, 2024, 10:26 amTotally agree. Boatyard can never be replaced or replicated. These folks have done an incredible job building a huge and loyal clientele. I hope that Boatyard can continue to operate and thrive. If it is sold, I further hope the operators can find another venue close by so we can keep this going. Fight, fight. Fight!!
Posted by andrew cecil | September 19, 2024, 11:19 amIs there no way to get rid of this guy and his lousy ideas for development? We donât need any âhelpâ from him
Posted by Donna Winter | September 19, 2024, 11:07 amThis change would be awful!! Nobody wants another car wash! Goooo away!!!!!
Posted by Inge Comford | September 19, 2024, 11:37 amIt is a shame to see this venue go.Jake is loaded with bad ideas. I think the real problem is with Cornelius Town planners and the town board who seem to approve every project that brings more clutter, traffic, and a lousy building ideas to this town.
Posted by Mark Howgate | September 19, 2024, 1:43 pmObviously this Jake guy is not forcing them to close. An opportunity has arisen for a developer and he is taking it. I think boatyard is a great addition to our community, they donât stay open too late and there is little trouble, regardless of comments above. While itâs sad to see them go because itâs family friendly, they obviously are doing what they need to do.
Posted by Wanda | September 20, 2024, 12:34 pm