Downtown Draws Business, Residents
business, downtown, elizabeth city downtown inc,
Downtown Elizabeth City is filled with activity. New businesses are opening, people are shopping and dining, music plays and boats gently bob in the water. Today’s vibrant downtown is the realization of the best laid plans.
“We are right on the edge of just exploding,” says Debbie Sauls, chair of Elizabeth City Downtown Inc.
This renaissance is thanks in part to the corridor’s proximity to the harbor, but also is a credit to the foresight of a handful of Elizabeth City investors.
Since the mid-1990s, developer Brant Wise has renovated several freestanding properties in the city’s historic downtown, using a hybrid-building plan that combines residential and commercial.
The Robert C. Martin Building, named for Wise’s late business partner, was converted from an abandoned turn-of-the-century Ford assembly plant into residential, retail, office and service space.
Wise says the need was clear.
“There were so many vacant buildings that were going to waste,” Wise recalls. “The roofs were leaking, and people were not maintaining the structures. It gave the downtown a negative vibe. It was not reflective of Elizabeth City as a whole.”
A steady rise of professional offices‚ restaurants and specialty retail shops in the area has combined nicely with Wise’s effort to create waterfront condominiums and apartments.
The corridor also boasts improved sidewalks, new landscaping and lighting. As an added bonus, Wi-Fi is available throughout downtown.
The efforts are paying off. Professionals, artists and retirees are rediscovering downtown and locating offices and galleries, or choosing to live in the heart of it all.
Story by Brandon Lowe
Photo by Todd Bennett
