Stanly County, North Carolina

STANLY COUNTY , NORTH CAROL INA Lowder relates that the County Commissioners have recently committed to a new trade facility at Stanly Community College, also in Albemarle, with a satellite campus in Locust. “Because of the number of students and high demand for trade programs, they have outgrown their existing advanced manufacturing space,” she states. There will be programs in such areas as advanced manufacturing, welding, automotive repair, industrial technology, electronics, computer programming, CNC machining, masonry, wiring, HVAC , and megatronics, which unites the principles of mechanics, electronics, and computing. Lucas adds, “We’re currently in the process for getting a contract in place for the initial design of a new 40,000-sq.-ft. facility to house those programs. It will take about eight months to design and do the construction drawings and get it out to bid. We believe by this time, next year, we’ll have broken ground on that facility, and it will take about 12-18 months to build. So, educational opportunities and better healthcare to a large, underserved rural population, it will help boost economic development in historic Downtown Albemarle. As part of its redevelopment plan for downtown, the City has a plan in place to repurpose the old 27,000-sq.- ft. historic Hotel Albemarle to provide 31 apartments and office/retail space that will be walking distance to the classrooms. This historic building conversion, alone, will be an investment of $8,500,000, while the Center, itself, will be an investment of $15,000,000. Also, plans are in place to assist building owners to convert empty second-story space and other underutilized buildings into apartments, retail, and business space. “With the infusion of 200-plus college students and 30-plus faculty and staff, you’re going to have even more folks demanding restaurants, and retail, and the like,” Lucas notes. “So, there’s going to be a significant demand for housing and mixed-use types of developments to meet that need. So, we’re extremely excited about the vibrancy that’s going to bring to downtown Albemarle.”