Public hearing held on proposed annexation of 850 Hackett Street (Fisher Lamb site)

The Spencer Board of Aldermen opened a public hearing on the proposed annexation of Parcel 49003 at 850 Hackett Street, often referred to in briefing materials as the Fisher Lamb site. The presenter said the property is roughly 98 acres, is zoned for industrial use, lies north of Hackett Street near Innospec and would be annexed so future development can connect to municipal water and sewer.

Josh Stry, who identified himself as senior development manager with Sandvik Corporation of Greensboro, told the board he had no formal comments beyond making himself available for questions and described preliminary infrastructure routing: "Obviously, there's, water and sewer. Both would probably come in ... along the Long Prairie Road," and a roadway through the industrial park would carry utilities. He added that typical new buildings are often 100,000–200,000 square feet and usually multi-tenant.

Board members asked whether the annexation area includes floodplain or wetlands; staff said the parcel being annexed does not appear to contain floodplain but a nearby creek corridor is a floodplain and there are wetlands in the broader area that would be avoided during development. A board member also asked about a reported North Carolina railroad improvement grant of $750,000 and roughly $1 million in infrastructure costs; staff said they are working with the developer to identify additional funds and will provide further details at a later meeting.

The mayor noted the potential tax‑base and job benefits of industrial development but cautioned that the town should study cumulative service-and-cost impacts if many projects proceed. No ordinance was adopted at the hearing; the board closed the public hearing and will consider annexation ordinances at a future meeting.