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Gaston County EDC outlines options for 38-acre Wilkinson/Lakewood site as residents urge parkland
Summary
At a Sept. 16 Town of Cramerton meeting, Gaston County Economic Development Corp. (EDC) staff described market and legal limits on roughly 38 acres at Wilkinson Boulevard and Lakewood Road; residents urged preservation and the town agreed to continue talks with the county and developers and consider a public workshop.
Donny Hicks of the Gaston County Economic Development Corp. told the Town of Cramerton Board of Commissioners on Sept. 16 that roughly 38 acres the county holds near Wilkinson Boulevard and Lakewood Road could be marketed to developers but faces significant constraints because it was acquired with school bond proceeds and portions of the site are undevelopable.
Hicks said parts of the parcel are limited by floodplain, a gas line and Duke Energy transmission easements. He said the county’s legal obligations tied to the school bond and oversight by the Local Government Commission limit how the land may be conveyed and that the county is required to recoup funds to pay debt service. “We are not in the business to lose money on a land sale that debt service is owed on,” Hicks said.
During public comment earlier in the meeting, residents including Zachary Barfield and Greg Ramsey urged the Board to pursue conservation-oriented uses — county parkland, a sale to the Catawba Land Conservancy, greenway connections or a Riverkeepers site — rather than rezoning for multifamily housing. “Let’s not change Cramerton, let’s let Cramerton change us,” Ramsey said, noting a petition he and others circulated had gathered more than 500 signatures.
Board members pressed Hicks about development feasibility, neighborhood impacts and whether the county could preserve portions of the site. Hicks described options developers have proposed — retail, townhomes and multi‑family in portions of the property — and said he would work with town staff on a “bubble diagram” or concept plan to provide bidders more certainty. He said an appraisal is underway and that, historically, the county paid about $60,000 per acre for the land.
Commissioners discussed trade-offs the town could seek in a sale, including density credits in exchange for larger buffers along the river and other protections. Commissioner Abernathy suggested the town invite the public speakers who had urged conservation to present more detailed ideas at a workshop; Mayor Cauthen proposed a larger public charette or community meeting so more residents could participate.
No rezoning or sale decision was made at the meeting. The Board voted to let staff continue detailed conversations with the EDC and with two prospective developers Hicks identified, and asked staff to return with more specific site plan information and options for broader public engagement.
Why it matters: The parcel sits at a southern gateway to the town and abuts river and transmission corridors; how it is developed will affect conservation, river access, traffic and the town’s Small Area Plan. Legal limitations tied to the original school bond and undevelopable acreage mean options will be shaped as much by finance and regulatory constraints as by community preference.
What happens next: The EDC and town staff will work on a site concept and appraisal results; commissioners signaled they want periodic updates and at least one public workshop or charette to gather broader citizen input before any formal land-use decisions are made.
