Bye-bye, bay: Developer cancels crystal lagoon project in Huntersville

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The plan for a crystal lagoon in the Huntersville area is officially dead after a nearly year-long battle over zoning.

Jake Palillo and Bi-Part Development announced Wednesday that the Lagoona Bay/Waterside project has ended.

“After a year long struggle to seek rezoning for one of Huntersville’s largest and most unique projects has come to an end,” a statement from the developer said. “The project does not financially work with a reduced plan to meet the current zoning.”

Channel 9 had reported on the back-and-forth between the developers and the city government in Huntersville.

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When it was originally announced in 2022, Palillo unveiled plans for a new Crystal Lagoons beach location for water recreation. Crystal Lagoons currently exist in more than 20 states.

Then it evolved into plans for nearby homes, a hotel, and even a retail district. Ultimately, the plans kept running into roadblocks during rezoning requests in the city, and the developers would go back to the drawing board to come up with a new idea that would preserve the crystal lagoon plan for Huntersville. Even the name changed, going from “Lagoona Bay” in 2022 to “Waterside” in 2023.

Despite the cancellation, Palillo said his passion for Huntersville hasn’t changed.

“As the Lagoona Bay/ Waterside project comes to an end, our love for Huntersville and wanting to make it better doesn’t,” Palillo said in a statement. “The Lake Norman area is home to me and my family.”

(WATCH: Former ‘Lagoona Bay’ project in Huntersville undergoing changes)