Augustalee Environmental Mission Statement Refined

Augustalee has been planned from the very beginning to employ the latest environmentally friendly design standards. As the project has evolved, opportunities for additional pro-environment and air quality enhancements have occurred.

As a demonstration of its commitment to protect the natural environment, the developer of Augustalee, Cornelius Bromont LLC, has announced the following mission statement and implementation plan.

Mission Statement
Augustalee is being designed to create a sustainable community which integrates a distinctive harmony of working, shopping, living, hospitality and recreational uses, while intentionally respecting the surrounding environment. Augustalee significantly advances the planned time schedule to improve regional transportation resources, increase connectivity and reduce congestion. Augustalee, a ãshovel readyä project, will create thousands of high-quality ãgreen jobsä and provide millions of dollars in positive economic impact to the Charlotte-Lake Norman region.

Mission Statement Specific Implementation
• A true mixed use community
• 4,600 new “green jobs”
• 500-1,000 construction jobs
• All design schematics have been completed, one of America’s largest contractors has been hired, and the project is “shovel ready”
• $370 million in positive economic impact per year
• Connectivity to area transit systems and encouragement of carpooling, walking, biking and other alternatives to single-occupant vehicles
• Central utility plant and central boiler system for maximized energy efficiency
• Planting over 2,000 trees and shrubs
• Abundant parks, green spaces, a History Trail, and outdoor amenities that are unparalleled, to encourage enjoyment of the outdoors
• Runoff and storm water retention into ponds, underground storage and filtration systems to protect nearby waterways
• Concrete and masonry construction to ensure sustainability, avoiding cheaper wood construction which would require ongoing significant repair and energy expenditures for decades to come
• Abundant porches, balconies and operable windows in all residential units to allow fresh air flow and reduce energy demands for cooling and heating
• Recycling of existing trees on the property to lumber
• Roofing with a 50-year rating instead of the 20-year rating as required
• Electronic air filters to minimize exhaust fumes and pollutants from underground parking facilities and service areas
• Encouragement of electric vehicles on site, including electric carts operated by security guards to transport guests who have difficulty walking, as well as reserved parking for electric vehicles.

Augustalee’s Brand: “Smart Business. Southern Style.”™

Cornelius Bromont has selected a new branding statement for the leasing phase of Augustalee:

“Smart Business. Southern Style.™”

“This statement reflects the fact that, in the early stages of our marketing, our targets will be office, retail, and hospitality decision-makers,” said Josh Rector, Senior Vice President of Cornelius Bromont. “Then when we are well into Phase 1 construction, which will include retail, restaurants and luxury condominiums, we will adjust our branding focus from the tenants to the consumers.”

Rector said that the branding phrase, developed in conjunction with marketing firm Lawrimore Communications Inc. of Charlotte and national leasing agent CB Richard Ellis, “represents a great deal of thought about what we’re doing and the benefits we offer.”

“The first part, ‘Smart Business,’ points out what a great location this is for both office and retail businesses. We offer true Class A office space, custom designed for major tenants, up to 10 stories tall, which will be very visible from I-77,” Rector added. “We’re also building over 700,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and two luxury hotels - one boutique style and one full service. The combination of quality mixed-use amenities, location on the interstate, minutes from both Charlotte and Lake Norman, make this a truly ‘Smart Business’ location.

“The second part of the branding statement, ‘Southern Style,’ has multiple meanings. First, it reflects our historically significant Southern name, Augustalee, which we recently adopted replacing the start-up name Village At Lake Norman. Second, it indicates the warm Southern hospitality and culture that we intend to make a hallmark of the entire project. Third, it reflects the Southern coastal resort inspiration for our architecture. Fourth, the word ‘style’ suggests the unique, fashion-forward approach to our design, merchandising and theme of form meeting function in an elegant manner.”

Walt Rector Named Man of the Year

Walt Rector, CEO of Cornelius Bromont and the Bromont Group, has been named Man of the Year by the Herald Weekly, serving Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville.

“Walt Rector has always thought big,” the Herald said in its Jan. 2, 2009, edition. “His Augustalee development has Cornelius thinking that way too.”

The article notes that Augustalee is “More than a gigantic mixed-use development... if Rector and company get their way, they will also front the cost of improvements on I-77 that will include a new exit at Westmoreland Road and additional lanes on the interstate, a long-needed flyover east-west connector road, and the widening of Highway 21, all roadwork that is barely a blip on North Carolina’s road-building radar. And it will ultimately give the Town of Cornelius, which is otherwise mostly built out and largely dependent upon a residential property tax base, a considerably more diverse tax revenue stream.

“It’s for these reasons and more that Walt Rector, Augustalee, and Cornelius Bromont Development, et al., combine as The Herald Weekly’s ‘Man of the Year’ for 2008.”

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