City Manager Montre’ Freeman recently touted that Elizabeth City is experiencing a noticeable growth spurt, both in building and businesses.
“New developments and businesses are popping up from one end of town to the other, and we love seeing our community expand and thrive,” Freeman said.
That includes construction of the new Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, several restaurants adding additional locations, and nationally-known brands making their first entry into The Harbor of Hospitality.
“It may often seem like you blink and there’s a brand new building and booming business that sprouted overnight, but there’s a lot of work that goes into getting from Point A to Point B to the ribbon cutting and grand opening,” Freeman said in his Oct. 13 Manager’s Corner newsletter.
Freeman detailed the process of working with city officials as a business goes from the drawing board to reality.
“Various arms connected to the City’s Community Development Department have a lot of lifting to do to when it comes to assistance and guiding people through the approval process,” Freeman said.
“The Technical Review Committee (TRC) reviews plans for new developments; however, if a new business is coming but will be establishing itself in an already-existing building, TRC does not review the plans unless there’s a requirement for a special use permit,” Freeman said.
Freeman also listed a number of applications that have been completed or are moving through the process:
