A South Carolina developer is getting ready to unveil its plans before the Mooresville Planning Board on Oct. 10 to redevelop the Queens Landing entertainment complex on Lake Norman.
Columbia-based developer Arnold Companies, led by owner Ben Arnold, is hoping to get approval to redevelop the area with a marina, restaurant, multi-family housing, and a public greenway, according to Charlotte Observer. The Arnold Family Corporation, one of the most diverse owners and developers of commercial and multi-family properties in the Southeast, bought Queens Landing property for $7.5 million in August 2022.
While the company still needs to be approved to move forward, plans show an existing building that was the former home of a restaurant and bar will remain and will offer indoor and outdoor dining overlooking the lake. Jack Williams, known as “Captain Jack,” bought the space in 1992 with friend Bud Lancaster, owner of Mooresville’s Big Daddy’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar. Together, the two built what was considered the largest complex on Lake Norman, according to the obituary of Williams, who passed away in 2016.
Besides the restaurant space, the 6.5-acre complex also housed the 149-passenger Catawba Queen, a Mississippi River paddle wheel boat, and a 93-foot Lady of the Lake dinner cruise boat, which are neither there. While the news of a possible redevelopment of the area is exciting, not everyone thinks this will be a good idea. Local neighbors have posted the hearing notice on the NextDoor app with concerns about traffic. The complex is overrun with weeds and toppled ornaments from the Queens Landing miniature golf course.
