Lumberton, North Carolina

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 million square feet,” says Horne. With companies taking advantage of the I-74 interchange, he expresses that there is also growth on the retail and commercial side. “We’ve got some restaurants, hotels, and different things going up along the interstate. So hopefully, all these things that we’re talking about are going to create more of an economy here for our local people.” Hurricanes in 2016 and 2018 caused major damage to homes and properties in Lumberton, resulting in the housing shortage the community is experiencing today. “A lot of our older housing stock was damaged and or lost due to those storms,” recounts Love. On a positive note, he shares that several housing developments have come online within the last few years. One such project is a senior housing complex with 100 units, while several other multi- family developments are expected to be in the construction phase within the next 8 months. Partnering with the Office of State Budget admits that supply chain issues are holding up some of the necessary construction, but remains hopeful that things will come together and the utilities will be in place when Zurn Elkay is ready to begin work. “Everything is moving at a pretty fast pace, and as a result, we are seeing interest by other companies that want to look at the park. Once we get all the infrastructure in, we think this will be a great benefit for the community, and for the county as a whole,” he adds. Located only 80 miles from the Port of Wilmington, and 30 miles from South Carolina’s Inland Port Dillon, Lumberton is also the site of Lumberton Regional Airport, offering many advantages to companies looking to establish themselves in the area. “We have our county industrial developers working with another group that’s hoping to build a 500,000 square foot spec building out on I-74 adjacent to the park. When that project builds out, there would be three buildings in there and close to two