GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- Belmont City Manager Adrian Miller has a big vision for the Wilkinson corridor of Belmont.

• Officials hope the light rail will come to Gastonia within 15 years
• It's expected to cost billions of dollars
• PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CATS Gets Approval for New Rail from Matthews to Potentially Gaston Co. 

“Multi-story office buildings, mixed-use developments, retail, apartments,” Miller said.

He has a reason to be optimistic. Last week, the Metropolitan Transit Commission approved the proposed Silver Line which will go from Matthews to uptown Charlotte to the airport and then to Belmont.

It's going to take around 10 years, but people in Gaston County have high hopes. The light rail isn't approved to go to Gastonia yet, but Mayor Walker Reid hopes to bring it west.

“I look at what took place on North Tryon Street going out to UNC Charlotte and all the businesses and the growth that occurred on that corridor. The same thing could happen coming right into Gastonia,” Reid said.

He hopes the light rail will come to Gastonia within 15 years. He says many people are discouraged to drive to Charlotte because of the traffic.

“That light rail could take a lot of traffic off I-85,” Reid said. “The light rail could be the game changer.”

Back in Belmont, some plans are already in place. Miller says they are preparing to turn old freight line tracks into a trolley. It will stop next to a potential light rail stop.

“You can get off the train and then transfer to a trolley and then get into downtown,” Miller said. “We're going to go form a nice, quiet small town to a slightly less quiet, less small town.”

While the expansion has been approved the money to fund the project, it has not been secured yet. It's expected to cost billions of dollars.