Top Charlotte Area Local News Stories
Source: MedleyStory
Eyewitness News has exclusive information about where thousands of delegates will stay in Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention.
Walking into the Hilton Charlotte University Place, it's clear the 12-story facility has room, and a lot of it.
“There's a total of 6,000 square feet here,” said General Manager David Glass.
Glass said size is just one reason it's one of 56 hotels in and around Charlotte chosen to house about 6,000 delegates for the DNC.
Reservations won't be the only revenue-maker.
“There's going to be receptions and meetings and events going on, and obviously that's a huge plus for us,” Glass said.
It also means big bucks for surrounding businesses.
“They don't just stay in the hotel and eat here, they go out and frequent the shops around here, they hit Old Navy, they go to Boardwalk Billy's,” Glass said.
In October, Channel 9’s cameras were there when delegates visited area hotels to pick their top choices.
Here's how the list of hotels breaks down: They are in five zones -- uptown, airport and I-77, University, SouthPark and Concord.
The hotels housing the most delegates are the Blake, Marriott Executive Park, University Hilton, Renaissance and Great Wolf Lodge.
Director of DNC housing Kelsey Larus said the biggest challenge was satisfying the larger groups' meeting-space needs.
“When you don't have thousand-room properties like other convention cities do in the past, we do have to get creative,” Larus said.
Getting creative meant dividing some delegations between two nearby hotels.
At the Crowne Plaza uptown, Manager Bill Moore took Eyewitness News to the rooftop to show how his proximity to convention hot spots was a selling point.
“If you look up in that direction, you see the current roof of Time Warner Arena, so it's literally about a 10- to 15-minute walk in either direction,” Moore said.
And the hope at all hotels is that delegates stretch out their stay.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:51:06 -0500
Police took a suspect into custody after a bank robbery on Monday afternoon.
The robbery happened at a Bank of America on Randolph Road, near the Cotswold Shopping Center.
The suspect was taken into custody on Eastway Drive, police said.The suspect's name hasn't been released.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:15:59 -0500
A town official is worried a massive pile of yard debris behind a Stallings business could pose an environmental hazard.
Indian Trail councilman Robert Allen discovered the pile of leaves, debris and Christmas trees behind God Bless the USA, Inc., last week.
The town of Stallings contracts with God Bless the USA for resident waste pickup.
Allen said the Indian Trail town council was considering contracting the company as well.
"Before I go in an endorse a company, I want to see a little bit about it, so we came out here and found all this," Allen said.
Allen said although the business is not within Indian Trail town limits, he is still worried about the residents he represents. He said he is afraid the rotting pile may represent an environmental threat.
"Well, we all live downstream. I can literally skip a stone from here to Indian Trail. And whether we're in Indian Trail or Stallings, we're still in Union County. And it goes into our ground water, it affects all of us," Allen said.
Eyewitness News contacted the business owner to ask why they were not taking the debris to a landfill, but did not receive a call back seeking comment.
An employee told a news crew that the bags were piled up because the company was trying to remove the leaves from the plastic bags to recycle the bags, and that it was a process that "takes time."
Allen said he wonders how much time the company needs.
"I don't know what the motivation to keeping here is, they would have the answer, but usually it comes down to dollars and cents," Allen said.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:11:06 -0500
Investigators are still trying to figure out why a Charlotte school bus caught on fire last week.
Inspectors from Freightliner, the maker of the bus, were in Charlotte on Monday looking at the damage left from fire.
SLIDESHOW: School bus engulfed in flames
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: School bus inferno
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and firefighters gave driver Lindora Richardson a plaque for her actions last week.
Six students were on their way home from Chantilly Montessori Elementary when Richardson noticed smoke coming from the steering column.
Richardson got the children safely off the bus before these flames erupted.
"If I wouldn't have made the quick decision to get myself and kids off the bus, it probably would've been a different situation," Richardson said.
Freightliner officials have not said if their investigation is complete.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:05:00 -0500
Another Mecklenburg County commissioner has announced plans to run for Congresswoman Sue Myrick's seat.
Jennifer Roberts joins fellow commissioner Jim Pendergraph and City Councilman Andy Dulin in the race for District 9.
Sue Myrick recently announced she would not seek another congressional term. Since then, several people have eyed Myrick’s seat.
Myrick said she would not endorse any one candidate, but said she expected a flood of interest after filing began.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:51:48 -0500
Community members in Boone fear the worst after a woman with ties to the area was reported missing.
The last time family members saw Dara Watson was at her parents’ store a week ago, leaving to go back to Charleston.
The sign outside Watsonatta Western World says the business is closed because of a family tragedy. Someone scribbled a note nearby, saying they are praying for the family.
Nearby businesses like MC Adams Clothier have posted the story about Watson being missing on their Facebook page.
“(For) everybody here in Boone, it hit so close to home,” said business owner Megan Adams. “It is really sad. We're all just praying for her and the family, that they will find her.”
According to police reports, Watson's boss in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., reported her missing last week. Since then, her SUV was found burned and abandoned in the Francis Marion National Forest.
Police launched a massive search this past weekend, hoping to find the missing 30-year-old.
Police said her fiance said the two had gotten into a fight last Monday night and that she left Tuesday. Then they got a 911 call Friday about a possible suicide at the couple's home. Inside, they found Watson’s fiance dead and a gun nearby.
All of the developments have people in Boone fearing the worst.
“It doesn't sound too promising,” Jamie Duncan said. “The whole situation is very scary. This is a small town, so anytime something like this happens it is a big deal.”
And according to a police report, Watson’s sister got a text from her last Wednesday and things seemed fine, but police can't say for sure that Watson was the one who sent that text.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:47:30 -0500
The unemployment rate for military veterans in North Carolina stands at 8.1 percent.
Channel 9 visited a large job fair for unemployed veterans in Concord Monday and found out the impact it's had in North Carolina.
As Dan Morey walked from booth to booth, he was unsure about his chances of finding a job.
Morey had been in Japan, where he served as a chaplain for the Air Force for nearly 3 1/2 years.
“I really wasn't sure there was going to be any organization that needs my specialty,” Morey said.
Like many other veterans, Morey has a highly specialized skill set.
But according to Darryll Johnson, with employer support of the Guard and Reserve, they're more valuable than they give themselves credit for.
“They know leadership, they know how to deal with people (and) they know how to work in teams,” Johnson said.
Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched the Hiring our Heroes program. It has held 91 job fairs, three of which were in North Carolina.
In the last visit to Charlotte in November, 300 veterans attended and 44 landed jobs.
And across the U.S., 88,000 veterans have attended the fairs and 7,300 were hired.
But Johnson said sometimes it's more than just helping them find a job, especially for the younger veterans.
“We find many of them come back and have never even written resumes and never even interviewed,” Johnson said.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:11:49 -0500
Three major brands of dishwashers spontaneously catching fire.
Channel 9's Don Griffin investigates why the manufacturer has not issued a recall after hundreds of people around the country have warned of the danger.
The warning signs that alerted two people in Charlotte just moments after they started their dishwashers.
Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. on Channel 9 Eyewitness News, Covering the Carolinas.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:06:50 -0500
Weather in Charlotte is starting to trend cooler than last February, but we are still warmer overall than last year.
The first 12 days of the month have been warmer than last year, but it looks like we are going to fall behind by the weekend.
Last February warmed significantly by the last two weeks. We even had a day in the 80s. That was a huge warmup considering how cold December and January was last year.
The long range forecast for the next two weeks does call for above-average temps.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:03:40 -0500
Police are looking for a man they say attacked two women in the parking lot of a Boone apartment complex.
Boone police said the women were assaulted in the parking lot of the Brown Heights Apartments off the Highway 105 extension around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 11.
Just before the attack, the victims were in a car at a Cook Out restaurant on Blowing Rock Road when a man verbally accosted them, according to police. He then followed the women as they left the restaurant and went to the apartment complex, police said.
Once there, police said, the man attacked the women. They were treated at an area hospital and later released.
The man is described as a black man with dreadlocks who was wearing a white T-shirt. He left the scene in a dark-colored Honda that was driven by a white woman, police said.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 828-268-6959.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:31:03 -0500
A Rock Hill home was damaged by fire this morning after a furnace malfunctioned.
Rock Hill firefighters were called to 311 Confederate Ave. about 4:30 a.m. Monday, said Capt. Trey Hovis. Six residents live at the home but were not injured.
It appears the "small fire" started when a furnace in the home malfunctioned, he said. Firefighters spent some time making sure the fire had not entered the walls. They also had to cut the power to the home to prevent further incidents.
The home suffered about $3,000 in damage, but can still be lived in, Hovis said.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:06:32 -0500
The Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees met at the North Carolina Research Campus this week for its January meeting, where it discussed items that included the nursing program’s move there, the R3 Center’s five-year anniversary and enrollment for the spring semester.
Before and after the meeting, trustees and staff members for the college toured the nursing program facilities in the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) building at the research campus.
The licensed practical nursing and registered nursing programs at the north and south campuses moved to the research campus this semester. The college decided last August to move the program there for its additional space and to have the program under one roof. The space in the building was originally meant to house the agricultural biotechnology program, which had been postponed.
The college said in August that the nursing program would stay in the building for at least a few years.
Cathy Norris, director of nursing education at RCCC, told board members and staff this week that being in the new space has been wonderful, especially since the program was able to consolidate its resources.
She added that the building is quiet, which is good for testing, and the location is central for students.
“Students have been very pleased,” Norris said.
The associate degree nursing program was also recognized at the board meeting because all of its 2011 graduates passed their National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).
During the meeting, RCCC also recognized the five-year anniversary of its R3 Center, which was established to help displaced workers and people who are unemployed or under-employed. The center has assisted more than 9,000 people and provided more than 33,000 appointments for its free career programs and services over the last five years, said Jeanie Moore, vice president of advancement and corporate education for RCCC.
“These people are coming back three to four times,” Moore said.
Bruce Potts, an RCCC graduate who also took workshops at the R3 Center after he was laid off from Freightliner several years ago, spoke to the board about his experience.
“If I compare myself to a cake … the R3 Center was the decorative icing on top of that cake,” Potts said.
He added that his experience with the R3 Center gave him confidence and the ability to stand out from other job candidates.
President Carol Spalding said the college was proud of Potts, and she said later in the meeting that his story showed that candidates have a better chance of getting a job when they have more skills.
“We’re worried people are losing hope,” Spalding said.
She said that as the board discussed this semester’s enrollment, which reflected a drop from 7,067 students taking curriculum classes in the 2011 spring semester to 6,500 students this spring semester.
Gaye McConnell, vice president of student services and enrollment for RCCC, said the numbers are not final, and they are 38 percent higher than enrollment five years ago.
“Historically, our increases were related to unemployment,” McConnell said. “What we are seeing now in Rowan and Cabarrus (counties) is a dip in unemployment.”
She said some students are also cutting back on expenses because they are obtaining part-time jobs, or their unemployment benefits have expired.
McConnell added that, in the fall 2011 semester, the North Carolina Community College System as a whole saw a drop in curriculum student enrollment.
She said the slight drop in enrollment will allow RCCC to look at program development, and Carl Short, chairman of the board, agreed.
“The rapid increase in enrollment we’ve experienced over the last few years was unsustainable,” Short said. “We couldn’t handle the growth if it continued. We’re glad it leveled off a bit…We hope to have the opportunity to do more program development.”
Spalding added that the lower enrollment should not have a financial impact on the college.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:51:30 -0500
Sheriff’s deputies in Alexander County used deadly force after a confrontation involving a man they said was armed with an axe.
VIDEO: Deputies shoot, kill man armed with axe
SLIDESHOW: Scene of officer-involved shooting
Deputies said they shot and killed William Ippolito at his home north of Hiddenite around 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Investigators said they had been called to the residence several times this month for domestic problems.
Deputies say they went to the home Sunday night and that the 47-year old charged at the officers with the axe.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave until the State Bureau of Investigation completes its investigation.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:49:17 -0500
It’s calving season at Ellis Farms.
The family-owned ranch in Old Fort has been busy the past few weeks doubling its herd with the arrival of newborns.
“There are 30 new calves so far,” said Eric Ellis, farm operator. “We have 70 cows, so there’ll be more to come.”
Usually, nature runs its course and calves come into the world without assistance. Every once in a while, however, Eric has to intercede.
“I’ve pulled several calves in my time, but none as of this year,” he said.
Eric, along with his father, Dr. George Ellis, and son, John Eric, run a cow/calf operation on Pine Cove Road. They raise registered Gelbvieh cattle, a German-breed best known for its strong muscle build and maternal characteristics.
“They make great mothers and are an overall friendly animal,” he stated.
Eric and George began raising the Gelbvieh breed in 1993 and are now up to a herd of 160. The local ranchers keep a permanent herd on the farm specifically for calf production, and sell off feeder calves and stocker cattle from the lower end of the calf crop. Once these cattle have been sold, they are transported to feed lots until they are of slaughter weight. Purebred cattle are sold to private enterprises. An operation like that of the Ellis family is a key aspect of the beef industry.
Currently, there are nearly 800,000 cow/calf operators in the U.S., and the demand for cattle is greater than the supply.
“The market is good right now,” Eric stated. “We’re getting $1.40 per pound off steers. The last transaction I made I sold 12 steer at $1,059 a head, which is great.”
In a few weeks, Eric will move eight more steers.
While Ellis Farms does raise and sell cattle, they don’t butcher their own.
“We’ve tried that in the past, but it’s a lot more work, and as of right now, they’re worth more alive,” he said.
Although the money is good, Eric still works a full-time job customizing feed for farms with the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative. His position requires him to travel daily throughout western North Carolina, leaving him little time for farm work. Dad George runs things while he’s away.
Wanting to spend more time on the ranch, Eric’s been looking for ways to supplement income.
“I’ve decided to try my hand at selling vegetable boxes,” he said.
Eric said his operation will be related to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business, but with a few notable differences: No upfront investments will be required when preordering boxes; orders are guaranteed each week since several farms are providing produce rather than a single operator; and more fruit and vegetable varieties will be available because of the numerous providers involved.
“Right now, I’m looking for customers who are interested in buying quality produce,” said Eric.” Once the season is in, I will need to sell around 50 boxes each week for this to work. There will be several drop-off locations available to meet customers with their goods.”
He will also grow his own fruits and vegetables to add in the mix.
To help jumpstart his efforts, Eric recently applied for a grant through the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The application was approved and Ellis Farms was awarded a $6,000 WNC Agricutural Options Grant in January.
“I plan to use this money for marketing,” he stated. “I’ve got a website that’s getting ready to go up, and I need funding for flyers, advertisements and a few other things.”
Eric’s income supplementation will help him phase out of the work force, so there will be more time to spend on the farm.
“I’d like to get the farm into a more sustainable state for the next generation,” he said.
Son, John Eric (and possible future business partner), has already expressed an interest in continuing the family business.
“Yeah, I may want to raise cattle when I’m grown,” John Eric stated. “Right now, I help do chores, and I show my own cows through 4-H. I’m also on the 4-H Judging Team.”
Although he’s only 12 years old and still in middle school, his farm chores are helping him learn the ropes for a future career if he wants it.
Grants like the one received by the Ellis family help keep generation farmers in business.
For more information on partnering with Ellis Farms as a grower or to provide your family with fresh locally grown produce, call Eric at 550-8137. You can also send an email to eatwell@abundantflavor.com.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:48:33 -0500
The Marion City Council agreed unanimously Tuesday to pay $11,600 to Robby Burgin of Burgin & Son Septic Tank Service for being on call regarding sewage at the new Grandview Station shopping center.
City officials said Burgin’s dedicated work and attention during that time prevented any serious problems from occurring at the site.
“The city did receive adequate service for him being on call,” said City Manager Bob Boyette. “His diligence with his service made sure we were in compliance.”
Last month, City Council met with Burgin, his wife Audrey and his father Ronnie. Burgin was hired by the city to pump and haul sewage from the new Grandview Station shopping center, where the new Walmart Supercenter is located, until the pump station could be constructed. During that time, his business pumped and hauled the sewer 58 times and was paid $150 for each load. The city had already paid him a total of $9,300 for the work.
But last month, Burgin asked the city for $11,600 as compensation for being on call for 116 days. After hearing his concerns, city officials agreed to talk this over more before making a decision. Council turned the matter over to the city’s Utility Committee, which is comprised of Mayor Steve Little, Councilwoman Juanita Doggett and Councilman Billy Martin.
On Friday, Jan. 27, city officials met with Audrey Burgin about the request for $11,600, or $100 a day. She represented her husband, who was unable to attend the meeting.
“I can tell you that Mrs. Burgin was very articulate, very knowledgeable about the subject matter,” said Little. “She did an excellent job in explaining the circumstances.”
The committee unanimously recommended that the money be paid in full.
Boyette added that Robby Burgin checked the site on a daily basis to make sure no problems occurred with the sewage. When something did occur, his number was the first to be called through the automatic dialing system.
“If it was something that needed attention, he would go ahead and pump,” said Boyette, adding a number of those calls turned out to be false alarms.
The $11,600 will paid out of the project’s budget, which is made up of grants and loans.
By hiring Burgin to do the work, it kept the Grandview Station project on schedule, said Boyette.
“We had to guarantee sewer service by a certain date and the only way to do that was by pumping and hauling,” he added.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting was the first one that Doggett attended since breaking her femur in a fall at her home on Jan. 3. The broken femur required her to undergo surgery and physical rehabilitation in Asheville. She is still recovering from the fall and is looking forward to becoming fully active again.
“I am doing well,” said Doggett. “I am getting better. It’s a healing process.”
In addition, Doggett was recently appointed to the Community and Economic Development Committee of the National League of Cities.
In other business, City Council:
-- Awarded the contract for the purchase of a truck to Stamey Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. The local dealership submitted a low bid of $23,839 for a 2012 Jeep Wrangler truck. It will be used to get to the intake for both Mackey Creek and Clear Creek. To get to the intake, a truck has to travel over some very rough terrain, city officials said.
-- Voted to approve the city’s updated purchasing policy.
-- Talked about the lack of wireless Internet service in downtown Marion. For the past several weeks, the Wi-Fi system has been inoperative. Mayor Pro Tem Lloyd Cuthbertson said the service should be restored soon. “Why do we spend that money for something that’s not working?” he asked. Boyette said it has been down because the city is working to get a terms of use agreement for the wireless Internet service. The city’s attorneys at the law firm of Dameron, Burgin, Parker, Jackson, Wilde & Walker are working on getting the agreement done. Boyette said the staff would follow up on this.
-- Honored Kathy Rabb as the Citizen of the Month for February.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:46:50 -0500
A convicted sex offender is back in trouble with the law after authorities say he moved and failed to notify them.
Capt. Ricky Crisp of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged Bobby Lee Biddix, 33, formerly of Chestnut Oak Forest Drive in Nebo, with a sex offender registry violation. He was taken into custody in lieu of a $30,000 bond.
On Jan. 17, McDowell County Sheriff’s Office communications received information that Biddix had moved from 406 Chestnut Oak Forest Drive. Deputies verified that and issued a warrant for the suspect.
Crisp said registered sex offenders have three days to notify authorities if they move. Biddix did not do that, according to Crisp.
The captain added that Biddix was homeless after he moved out of the Nebo residence.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:43:53 -0500
McDowell Early College (MEC) has seen tremendous growth over the last six years.
The school allows students to earn college credit and even an associate degree during high school.
Lisa Robinson has been the principal at MEC since it started and has seen how the program has grown.
“The initial plan (for MEC) was for 200 students,” she said. “We hoped to take 40 students in each year for five years and have our top number of students by year five. Our first year we took basically every student that applied and we only had 33 students.”
Currently, the school has enrolled 207 students, with many more kids interested in joining MEC.
“This year we have 40 slots available,” said Robinson. “In the past, we’ve usually had twice as many applicants as spots, but this year it’s looking like we’ll have at least three times as many applicants.”
The program, which this year switched to an A-B schedule, gives kids an idea of what to expect from college classes.
“We decided to change to the A-B schedule so that our schedule could be more like a community college’s,” said Robinson.
The A-B schedule allows kids to take eight classes at one time for an entire year. Each class runs 75 minutes and students attend that class two days a week.
Even though kids are taking college courses, educators still want them to know what the high school experience is like. That’s one of the reasons Fridays are set aside as a special day filled with school-wide activities.
Fridays are known at MEC as flexible Fridays where students can meet with an advisory-type group. These groups are called families. Each one is composed of kids from different grades, and they participate in different types of fundraising activities, community projects and other events.
The school also makes it a point to meet with the entire student body and discuss the week’s happenings.
“We also have an all-school meeting on Friday, which is unusual for a school to do, but because we’re so small we can,.” said Robinson. “We meet every Friday as a whole group and during that time we do announcements. Students can also voice any concerns they have and present any presentations they have created for class.”
The last day of the week is also a time where students can attend different club meetings and have a typical high school experience with groups like the Knitting Club or Key Club.
“With such a small school, it’s hard to have a myriad of electives,” she said. “We just don’t have enough staff to equip a large number of electives. Rather than have electives, we have flexible Fridays which can be used for those clubs.”
For now, MEC will continue to have approximately 200 students because of the space currently available.
Even with limited space, Robinson knows that in order to grow the school, she will still have to work to attract students,
Applications are currently being accepted for students interested in attending MEC. Applications can be found on the school’s website and must be postmarked or turned in at MEC by Feb. 28.
After being received, applications will be looked over and then students will be randomly selected to attend MEC.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:34:38 -0500
Grading crews are already prepping the site for the fourth fast-food restaurant off Exit 42 in Troutman.
Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits in Charlotte plans to open a 3,800 square foot eat-in/drive thru restaurant along Charlotte Highway in Troutman sometime between May and June.
Bojangles’ Executive Vice President Eric Newman described the design and layout as the "Classic Bojangles’" with a state of the art architectural design. It will seat up to 78 people.
"Troutman is something that we’ve been looking at as a concept for a number of years," he said.
Within the Greater Charlotte Region, which is Bojangles’ home market, there are more than 130 restaurants, Newman said.
The plot the restaurant is on was originally slated to be within the Troutman Town Center with a Walmart Supercenter as its anchor store. Those plans were halted by the recession, but Bojangles was not.
Newman said the restaurant chain wasn’t slowed down by the recession, but did have to go through the process of finding a suitable location and prioritizing the project. The typical Bojangles’ restaurant costs $1.7 million to build, he said. The regional chain has around 514 locations.
"I continue to be amazed by our reach in this area," Newman said.
Other retail notes
- Sherwin Williams will be moving from its location at 218 E. Front Street to its new home on Sullivan Road next to Sonic Drive-In.
- Events Unlimited is in the process of moving from its location on Signal Hill Road next to the mall to East Front Street next to Piedmont Bank.
- A new Mooresville area business is focused on helping you find some extra time. Jan Hansen recently started Timefinders, which provides personal assistance and concierge type services to busy people. The business offers assistance in residential short-term projects such as light housekeeping, home organization, errands and shopping, party help, appointments, packing/unpacking, new mom assistance and some business services. For further information please call 704-929-6214 or go to www.timefinders-service.com.
- A new funeral home recently opened in Cleveland. Boone-Carroll Funeral Home owner Annie Boone-Carroll is bringing her 22 years of experiences in different roles in the funeral home industry to her new venture, located at 111 Railroad Street in Cleveland. Her employees at Boone-Carroll Funeral Home include Vice President Clifton E. Harrell and Contractor Embalmer Dennis Milner. For more information, call Boone-Carroll or her staff at 704-278-3640.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:23:01 -0500
The walls started coming up this week on a new Statesville retail center next to the Home Depot on Turnersburg Highway that is slated for completion by June.
The $8 million project – which will include PetSmart, Michaels, Staples and T.J. Maxx – is one of the biggest retail developments to come to town in years.
The retailers chose Statesville as the best place to set up shop, something that hasn’t happened as often as it perhaps should, said Shawn McCleskey, Planning and Engineering Services Director for the shopping center’s developer, RealtyLink Development Properties of Greenville, S.C..
In some ways, McCleskey said, Statesville reminds him of Florence, S.C. It is a regional area where interstates converge, and has easy access to multiple locations.
In Statesville’s case, Interstates 77 and 40 give residents access to regional retail locations like Birkdale Village in Huntersville, Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem and Valley Hills Mall in Hickory.
But, for the most part, retail traffic hasn’t flowed both ways along those interstates, McCleskey said.
“You don’t see as much of that in Statesville,” McCleskey said.
Large retailers are going to look at the quality of the investment over time, traffic patterns and certain demographics, said Julia Wilson, vice president of G.L. Wilson Building Company, which is the general contractor for the new shopping center.
For instance, Target’s customer base has a median age of 40; median household income of $64,000; 43 percent have children; and around 57 percent have completed college.
A recent editorial in The Salisbury Post indicated the county seat for Rowan County faces similar challenges. It has easy access to the interstate, which freely allows its local residents to go shopping in Concord.
Within the city limits of Statesville, the population reached 24,532, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
Salisbury’s city population is actually closer to the town of Mooresville’s. Salisbury ended up with 33,662 residents, while Mooresville had around 32,711 people. Both these populations are lower than Concord, which has 79,066 people.
McCleskey said population is just one factor. Another is median income. The higher the median income of a town, the more attractive it is, he said.
In Statesville, the median income is $33,426, which was very similar to Salisbury’s.
Mooresville’s median household income was $52,865 in 2010, which was still higher than Concord’s $47,726.
Based on the demographics published by Target, Concord and Mooresville’s median household incomes would fit the retailer’s criteria.
It is almost a cookie-cutter approach, said Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce President David Bradley.
“They know how it’s going to work and they aren’t going to go to a play until they know its going to work,” he said.
A few years back, Bradley said the chamber and others in the city were trying to recruit a restaurant or another retailer for the land near Outback Steakhouse and Marquee Cinema. They found that many of the companies were already familiar with Statesville’s numbers.
Bradley believes some retailers are responding to market changes by reducing the size of their buildings and moving into retail centers like the one now being built.
Staples, for example, will move from its 24,000-square-foot space next to Lowe’s Home Improvement Center to its new 15,764-square-foot facility in the third quarter of 2013, said Staples Spokeswoman Carrie McElwee.
She said Staples had a market footprint in the larger store, but the company was moving into the smaller store to match the size of the market to the size of the store.
PetSmart’s space will be just over 14,000 square feet and Michaels is slightly larger at 14,293 square feet.
T.J. Maxx, which will take up 23,600 square feet, will be the anchor for the new shopping center near Home Depot.
Wilson said the parcel of land isn’t large enough for any outlier businesses.
This center was one of the first retail projects G.L. Wilson has worked on in Statesville in several years, Wilson said.
“It is an indication of our economy and how things are becoming more positive,” she said.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:19:16 -0500
Check your lottery tickets for Friday's Mega Millions game.
Someone has won $250,000 in the multi-state lottery game.
The ticket was purchased in Stanley, according to lottery officials.
Check back for updates.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:13:37 -0500
StanleyNorthCarolina.com
HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS