Residential parcels may be first in line for development
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
City of Burlington planners have staked the community’s future growth on a new plan that mixes industrial, commercial and residential development along the Highway 83 corridor on the city’s south side.
City Administrator Carina Walters said last week the plan was borne out of a desire to expand the Burlington Manufacturing and Office Park, but she envisions the residential portions of the plan coming to fruition first.
After a decade of recession and slow recovery, Walters said it’s encouraging to see the possibilities for growth once again.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for the city,” she said of the plan, which was endorsed by the Plan Commission during a meeting Dec. 12. She said it represents real opportunity for expansion of the city’s property tax base.
It also represents fortuitous timing for the city in light of the fact that the arrival of Foxconn in Mount Pleasant over the course of the next few years will increase development pressure throughout the area. Burlington, thanks to the new plan, should be prepared to consider most requests that come its way, Walters said.
“You need to be ready,” she said of the process. “If you have interested developers ready to move forward, you need to have the infrastructure in place.”
What it looks like
The plan, which encompasses 300 to 400 acres by Walters’ estimate, focuses on five separately owned parcels. Three of them are within the city and two of them are currently in the Town of Burlington.
The plan (see graphic accompanying story) features a large tract of industrial land immediately south the current Burlington Manufacturing and Office Park, a long strip of residential development to the west of the BMOP and two areas of mixed use (commercial, retail and office space) development just to the south of the city’s Department of Public Works facility on the east side of Highway 83 and to the north of the BMOP on the west side of the highway.
To read the full story see the Jan. 4 edition of the Burlington Standard Press, which is available at retail outlets throughout the area. To subscribe to home delivery of the Standard Press, click on the following link: SUBSCRIBE
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