Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners move forward with Merchant's Commerce Center concept, plan renderings and DOT coordination
Summary
A newly formed Merchant's Commerce Center committee selected Summit for updated renderings and will coordinate with NCDOT on traffic and turn‑lane needs before pursuing expansion; commissioners emphasized the need for early DOT engagement to avoid costly rework.
Commissioners on Tuesday reported early planning work for the Merchant’s Commerce Center and said they will update site renderings and coordinate traffic studies with the North Carolina Department of Transportation before advancing development proposals.
Commissioner Nathan Berryman said the county appointed five members to a Merchant’s Commerce Center committee and held an initial meeting to develop ideas for the property. The committee has engaged Summit, the firm that produced previous renderings, to update visuals so the county can share concepts with the public and potential partners.
Berryman said the next step will be to commission traffic and drainage analyses and to discuss road improvements with NCDOT for U.S. 158/1958 corridor approaches. “One of the first things we need to do is put our ideas on a piece of paper, and then ... share those ideas with the whole county,” Berryman said.
Commissioner Dave Forsyth raised questions about DOT’s project prioritization. Forsyth said DOT’s statewide list includes a major widening project on State Road 13 (engineering only funded in the near term) and a small, currently unfunded turn-lane project for Gates County on DOT’s smaller‑projects list. He recommended providing DOT with the county’s full scope and priorities now so DOT can design appropriately and avoid building a short turn lane that would need replacement if the county later requires a larger improvement.
The county manager and staff said they would seek DOT’s input and pursue the necessary engineering and studies before advancing construction or seeking funding. Commissioners said they want renderings and traffic analyses completed before engaging potential businesses or finalizing infrastructure requests.
Ending
Commissioners said they expect Summit to produce updated renderings and will invite DOT to review county priorities in the coming weeks; no funding commitments were made at Tuesday’s meeting.
