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New Developments Pop Up Along Northwest Corridor
business, city center west, downtown, economic, elizabeth city, ron perva, subway, super wal-mart, tanglewood,
Ron Perva watches customers stream into Super Wal-Mart from the counter of his new Subway restaurant, located just beyond the retail giant’s front doors.
“This area northwest of Elizabeth City is ready to take off,” Perva says. “When we were presented with the opportunity to open a store here, we jumped at the chance. Being right off the bypass, we feel it will boom with growth.”
Perva’s family has owned restaurants in the Elizabeth City region since 1988. The new Subway joins Wal-Mart and a rash of other businesses springing up on Halstead Boulevard‚ a connector road to the recently opened U.S. 17 Bypass. The 3.5-mile connector is becoming a hot-bed for commercial and residential development. It is anchored on its west end by Tanglewood, a 6,500-acre master planned site zoned for commercial, industrial and residential use.
According to Tanglewood’s manager, Jon Crouse, the development’s available tracts range from five to 2,000 acres, with 848 acres set aside for residential construction and a golf course. More than 4,600 acres are zoned for industrial use.
“With all of the new infrastructure – highways, railroad, natural gas, water, sewer and choice of electricity – we feel that we are poised to take advantage of new opportunities,” Crouse says.
Less than two miles away, on the east end of Halstead Boulevard, another new development called City Center West is already taking off. The 76-acre commercial park will be home to a variety of local businesses, as well as national retail and restaurant chains.
The initial phase of development for City Center West includes the suc-cessful launch of the area’s first Marriott-branded property, a 97-room Fairfield Inn and Suites, in September 2007. According to Arthur McPherson, president of McMor Development and M&M Hospitality LLC, the project represents a $75 million investment over the next five to 10 years.
“By spring 2008, we expect to have 10 or 12 additional facilities under construction,” McPherson says. “Response has been tremendous.”
In addition to high visibility along Halstead Boulevard, McPherson says companies building along the connector road also benefit from increased accessibility to the surrounding multi-county area near the Virginia-North Carolina state line.
“Our market is growing, and we continue to grow, despite the residential slowdown nationally,” he says. “This growth is driving and supporting retail expansion. It’s a strong local economy, and this is a good area for expansion.”
In an effort to ensure that Halstead Boulevard remains attractive as well as successful from an economic development standpoint, the city created a zoning overlay district that will encourage high-quality development through enhanced building and landscaping standards.
“Some people may be afraid that development along Halstead Boulevard will mean out-migration from the city, but we believe there is enough growth to keep downtown Elizabeth City viable as well as support the new business district,” McPherson says. “The goal is to keep the entire marketplace healthy.”
Story by Valerie Pascoe
