oct-2017

236 237 life aspects.” Noting that the city’s investments are“paying off”is a bit of an understatement.“The end of business 2016, our commercial permits in Sanfordwere up 560 per- cent-and not all in downtown,”Mann declares.“We’ve attracted a lot of retail on the south side,and I think it’s all coming frompeople noticing the investments we’ve had.We’ve had two grocery storesmove here; we’ve had a lot of big boxactivity that we could not enjoy in the last ten years,happening,now.We’ve had a $210million expansion of our taxbase since 2014,as of the end of year 2016.So,we’re starting to seemea- surable results.We’re having to add staff in our inspec- tions and permittingandenvironmental healthdepart- mentsbecausewecan’t keepupwiththedemandfor permits.Andthere’sbeena37percent increase inresiden- tial permits.We’vehadtwomajormulti-familyprojects withinthe last twoyears.Theyarebuildingso fast,they’re alreadyworkingwithstaff toconstruct anotherone.We can’t reviewthoseandget thosebuilt fast enough.” “Notonlyareweseeingthephysical construction improvements,we’realsomakingmajorupdates toour landuseplan,”saysDowney.“We’reupdatingourdesign guidelines.We’re tryingtoprovide flexibilitytoencourage developers tocome in; tomake it a lowbarrier situation wherewemeet theexpectationsof theexistingcitizens andpolicymakers,but at thesame time,have regulations inplace that encouragedevelopment.” Mannbelieves that,inadditiontothecity’spublic/ privatepartnership investments,other factors thatdraw peopleandbusinesses to Sanford include its location, its qualityof life,and its educatedworkforce.“One of the big drivers of our area has been our community college–Central Carolina CommunityCollege that’s got about a 6,000 person enrollment,”saysMann.“Com- panies likePfizer,GKNAutomotive,Caterpillar,PentairPool Products,Magneti Marelli Powertrain–theyhave all taken advantage of our workforce and our Community College partnerships.We’re in the geographicheart of North Carolina; we’ve got a 140-year-old downtown andwe have a tradition and historyhere that makes our qualityof life veryappealing to peoplewhomaybe tired of the costs and transportation issues in Raleigh andDurham.Andwe’re just a 40-minute drive south.” 1017 Main Campus Drive, Suite 1200 Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 919-582-5850 www.freese.com SANFORD, NORTH CAROLINA • Vertical Turbine Pump Rebuilds and Retrofits • Valve Repairs, Rebuilds and Retrofits • Pump Station Rehab and Repairs • Sewer Lift Station Upgrades and Rehab • New Equipment Sales • New Equipment Installations • System Troubleshooting • Pump Repairs, Rebuilds and Retrofits • 24-Hour Emergency Service SERVICES INCLUDE: 2000 Boone Trail Rd. Sanford, NC 27330 PH: 919.775.2463 FAX: 919.708.7232 24-HR: 1.800.729.2463 Charles R. Underwood, Inc. 2000 Boone Trail Road Sanford, NC 27330 www.crupumps.com Another asset,of which the city is taking advantage, is its abundance of water.“We arewater and sewer-ca- pacity rich,here,”Mann asserts.“Our fathersmade a real good decision a long time ago to go to the local river for our water supply rather than building a reservoir to providewater to our citizens.We have expanded our wastewater treatment facility,andwe nowhave two major agreements in place,onewith the third largest neighborhood in the United States,which is 15miles away fromus.It’s called ChathamPark in Pittsboro, North Carolina.It’s going take a town of 4,500 over the next 25 years to a town of about 60,000.And then to our north,about 15miles,there is theMoncureMeg- asite.North Carolina is attracting a largeOEM,primarily an automotivemanufacturer,andwe are providing the sewer/water designworkand are going to provide up to amillion gallons a dayof wastewater tomake that facilityviable.” “Sowe’ve done some things here in Sanford to leverage our resources and assets in order to attract people,”saysMann in summation.“We use our bonds to attract qualityof life improvements andwe’ve used our water and sewer resources to attract business. That’s where Sanford is different.And right now,we have a community that’s all on the same page.And for everydollar we’re investing,we’re seeing four,five,six dollars,in return.And that’s the name of the game.” PREFERRED VENDORS n Charles R. Underwood, Inc. www.crupumps.com n Freese and Nichols, Inc. www.freese.com