The McDowell Creek Greenway near Birkdale is close to Stratford Forest. Town plans put the missing link at about four-tenths of a mile. Even so, no path runs from the neighborhood to the trail. Cornelius plans to build that connector and has already given it the neighborhood's name. Its western end sits on a road that is still under construction.
That road is the Northcross Drive Extension. It explains most of why the Stratford Forest Greenway can't be finished on a parks schedule alone. As of September 2026, the neighborhood's trail access depends on three things: an NCDOT road crew, a Mecklenburg County creek study, and a Cornelius bond sale. All three are moving, and each is on its own calendar.
A greenway drawn to meet a road
Stratford Forest sits at the southern edge of Cornelius, along the Huntersville line. Its main road landmark is Northcross Drive, just north of Sam Furr Road. When NCDOT first showed the public its route for the Northcross Drive Extension in February 2017, Cornelius Today described the new road this way. It would leave the north end of Northcross Drive "alongside the Stratford Forest subdivision," then run northwest through mostly vacant land to Eagle Ridge Way and Westmoreland Road. About half the route crosses land owned by the Cornelius Parks Department, and the road was planned to connect with the McDowell Creek Greenway.
The greenway plan picked up from there. The town's 2024 park bond materials describe the Stratford Forest Greenway as an approximately 0.4-mile segment connecting "the McDowell Creek Greenway near Birkdale with the new Northcross Drive Extension." They give it two jobs. It would give the Stratford Forest neighborhood convenient access, and it would link the greenway to the new road. So the connector is drawn to end at a road that doesn't exist yet.
Two governments, one cul-de-sac as the handoff
The Cornelius Town Board reviewed park bond priorities on January 5, 2026. The presentation divided the Stratford Forest Greenway at Forest Shadow Court, with the county and the town each taking one side.
| Segment | Who handles it | What the January 2026 deck assigns |
|---|---|---|
| McDowell Creek Greenway to Forest Shadow Court | Mecklenburg County | Design, easement acquisition, and construction |
| Forest Shadow Court to Northcross Drive | Town of Cornelius | Funding for design and easement acquisition |
| Town funding shown on the slide | Town of Cornelius | $90,000 in January 2026 and $90,000 in January 2027 |
The dollar figures need some care. The slide shows town money only and gives no amount for the county's share. When Cornelius Today covered the same priorities in January 2026, it described the project as a $90,000 priority to build the connector, with Mecklenburg County also contributing. The town's 2024 Comprehensive Parks and Greenways Master Plan carried older, larger estimates for the same 0.4 miles: $200,000 for land acquisition and design and $685,000 to build, both listed for FY27. No published total cost covers both governments' work yet.
The next step belongs to the county. In its August 2026 quarterly bond update, the town said it is working with Mecklenburg County and that "environmental studies are currently underway to determine the crossing location over McDowell Creek." The crossing location has to be settled before design and permitting can move forward. The town's money follows its own timeline. In January 2026 the board approved a $430,000 budget amendment for early planning, design, environmental review, and permitting across bond projects, ahead of a first bond sale of about $9.94 million expected in early 2027. No construction start or opening date has been published for the Stratford Forest Greenway.
The road on the other end is further along
The Northcross Drive Extension, the road the greenway is meant to meet, is moving faster. At a community meeting at BoatYard LKN in July 2026, Deputy Town Manager Wayne Herron said NCDOT planned to open the extension in June 2027. The Charlotte Observer reported the project as a two-mile, two-lane road from N.C. 73 near the Huntersville CATS Park and Ride to a new roundabout at Westmoreland Road. Herron said the roundabout should open in December 2026. The town's June 2026 project timeline shows a later date, an approximate construction end of December 1, 2027. The two sources may be measuring different milestones.
The price has grown along with the timeline. In 2017 the extension's total cost was estimated at $10.2 million, with the town contributing $2.51 million in local matching funds. The Observer's July 2026 report puts it at $22.1 million.
Construction has also made the trail system harder to reach from the north side. Since June, the multiuse path that links the McDowell Creek Greenway and the Westmoreland Road neighborhoods to West Catawba Avenue has been closed from the Westmoreland Athletic Complex to the main entrance of Alexander Chase. In June, an NCDOT spokesperson said the walkway "should open once the roundabout is built, right now expected to be around Thanksgiving." NCDOT posted a detour through Alexander Chase for pedestrians heading west. People heading east can reach the same route by walking through the back of the Westmoreland Athletic Complex parking lot and crossing Eagle Ridge Way Lane. The July estimate of a December roundabout opening suggests the path reopening could also come later than Thanksgiving.
Getting onto the trails this fall
Until the connector is built, every route from Stratford Forest to a greenway starts with a short drive or a walk along the road. These are the most direct options, roughly in order of distance from the neighborhood.
- McDowell Creek Greenway at Birkdale. Mecklenburg County lists this greenway at 2.82 miles, running from Magnolia Estates Drive to Highway 73 at Birkdale Village. The Town of Cornelius and the Carolina Thread Trail list it at 3.1 miles, likely because they count segments differently. The Birkdale-area parking is at 16815 Cranlyn Road, with on-street parking along Magnolia Estates Drive.
- McDowell Creek Greenway at Westmoreland. The town lists an access point at 9019 Westmoreland Road near the Westmoreland Athletic Complex. Its trail directory still marks a section there as closed for construction, so the detour above applies.
- Robbins Park. The town lists 4.7 miles of trails at 17738 West Catawba Avenue. Robbins Park's multiuse paths also connect to the detour behind the Westmoreland Athletic Complex.
- Torrence Creek Greenway. The county lists it at 3.72 miles, from near Chilgrove Lane to Cedar River Road and Compass Street. Trailhead parking is at 8200 Gilead Road and at Rosedale Nature Park, 9519 Rosewood Meadow Lane. A 0.9-mile extension opened in July 2024. It runs from Rosewood Meadow Lane through a tunnel under I-77 to the Huntersville Gateway Park-and-Ride at 10300 Compass Street, and its reported cost was $5.6 million.
People who know the area often ask whether the Birkdale section of McDowell Creek now connects south to Torrence Creek. A Mecklenburg County presentation from July 2025 listed a 2.5-mile McDowell Creek segment from Sam Furr Road to Chilgrove as under construction, with completion estimated for 2026. No opening announcement has turned up since then. The Carolina Thread Trail's map, which carries no date, still says the McDowell sections at Sam Furr Road and Westmoreland Park "do not connect" to the Torrence Creek system "at this time." For now, plan them as two separate outings.
If you'd like a more organized ride before the weather turns, Crafty Burg'r at Antiquity and Carrburritos on South Main Street in Davidson are running the 2026 Greenway Adventure Series through October 31. Rides are Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. Riders collect passport stamps at both restaurants, which are 1.4 miles apart along the Antiquity Greenway and Davidson back roads. Upcoming themes include Paws on the Path, a Fall Colors Ride, and a Halloween finale. The town lists the Antiquity Greenway as a 0.6-mile link from North Zion Avenue to the South Prong Rocky River Greenway.
The dates that will move the Stratford Forest link
These are the published milestones that bear on the connector, in the order they are expected:
- Around Thanksgiving to December 2026. The Westmoreland roundabout opens and the closed multiuse path is expected to reopen, based on NCDOT's June estimate and Herron's July estimate.
- January 2027. The town's second $90,000 allocation for the Stratford Forest Greenway is scheduled.
- Early 2027. The town expects its first bond sale, about $9.94 million.
- June 2027. The Northcross Drive Extension opens, according to the July 2026 community meeting.
- To be determined. The McDowell Creek crossing location, which is still under environmental study.
In August 2026 the parks department began posting quarterly updates on its 2024 Park Bonds page so residents can follow bond projects as they move from planning into construction.
A connector like this can change daily routines on the streets closest to it. Residents who live near Forest Shadow Court or along Northcross Drive and want to know how the greenway or the new road might affect their property can talk with David Salmonsen Realty. David will go through the public project documents with you and give you a candid read on what they mean for your plans. Work With David.
