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June 27, 2006
Two good weeks in a row...
... for north High Point business.
TriQuint Semiconductor has chosen to build a plant off Piedmont Parkway. The $1.8 million center will have 25 employees with typical salaries in the $85,000 to $100,000 range.
City Council opted to give TriQuint $25,000 in incentives to build here. The announcement comes on the heels of Legacy Classic Furniture choosing north High Point for its headquarters and warehouse.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2006
Legacy Classic chooses north High Point...
Legacy Classic Furniture announced this morning that it will build a headquarters and warehouse in north High Point at the Premier Center. The company's factory is in China and its offices are in eastern Guilford County
The announcement follows the City Council's decision Monday night to offer $305,000 in incentives for Legacy Classic to build the $18 million facility in High Point.
It means the company will bring 120 jobs to the city and has plans for future expansion here.
Thoughts? Bueller?
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:21 AM | Comments (1)
June 19, 2006
On the Agenda: Jamestown Council
There's two things of note on the Jamestown Council's agenda for tomorrow night:
The Mackay Road townhouse development that could bring as many as 100 homes is up for a public hearing. It's likely to have between 60-75 homes. The development is outside town limits but in its planning area.
The $6.3 million town budget is also up for a public hearing. It's 4 percent smaller than last year's.
What: Jamestown Town Council
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Jamestown Town Hall
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)
City Lake Pool opens....
... a few weeks late. But hey, it's open.
The city announced this afternoon that the pool opened at noon today.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 1:23 PM | Comments (0)
On the Agenda: High Point City Council
Tonight's council meeting is a busy one. There's the question of whether to give Legacy Classic Furniture $305,000 in incentives to build an $18 million distribution center in north High Point. Then there's the approval of Barrow Road I/Faith Properties of the Carolinas large mixed-use development, called Smithfield at Piedmont Crossing, that would be laid out in the style of a traditionl neighborhood. The development could bring as many as 557 residences to a 62-acre piece of property near Barrow Road.
What: High Point City Council
When: 4:45 p.m. (Public hearings start at 5:30) Tonight
Where: City Council Chambers, third floor, City Hall.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:14 PM | Comments (2)
June 16, 2006
Bummer
Fitness Today on Eastchester Drive is closing.
Pressure from the new Gold's Gym at the Palladium and other clubs that have opened in the last few years made it too difficult to keep operating, Fitness Today's owners said. Memberships are being merged with Gold's.
Personally, I'm bummed because that was the gym I joined when I moved to town. Gold's Gym is farther from my home and it's not the kind of gym I'd seek out to join. But I guess I'll be giving it a shot now.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
City Lake Pool
After finding cracks in the pool, the Parks and Recreation department had to delay its opening from Memorial Day weekend. They thought they'd be able to get it open for this Saturday.
That was until Tropical Depression Alberto rolled through.
The rain slowed work down and the pool is now set to re-open early next week. The water slide is up and running already. And if you're out there this weekend, you'll probably notice the pool being filled. But it won't be ready for the public for a few more days.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2006
Impact fees...
... it's been quiet in here lately. I've been spending a fair amount of time on stories not related to north High Point or Jamestown. We've got some relevant things coming up over the next couple of days.
But I thought I'd note quickly the N.C. Court of Appeals' impact fees decision. Here's some places to look for commentary.
If you're not familiar with the case, here's the quick run-down. To enact impact fees -- those charged to a developer ostensibly to pay for infrastructure created by a new home or other development and the fee is typically passed on to the consumer -- a county must get approval from the state legislature. That's something the General Assembly hasn't done in the last 15 years. A few counties went ahead and put them in place anyway. And developers in Durham -- one of those that did -- sued. The case went to the state appeals court, which decided Durham was in the wrong and must return all fees collected over the last five years -- to the tune of $7.5 million. Durham is appealing.
I'm not aware of any effort to use impact fees here in Guilford County. But since more than once when I've noted a new development working its way through the city's planning office people have asked questions about who will pay for necessary infrastructure created by the development, I thought I'd bring it up.
It's an interesting question. Should people building houses pay a fee to help pay for schools and roads? What if they already live here and are just moving from one house to another, is it still fair then? Realtors will tell you that it's not. Others say it will have a negative effect on homeownership among poorer residents and less homes will be built as a result. Yet others say they're more efficient than property taxes at paying for growth and increase home prices by about half of the actual fee.
If I had the answer, I'd be in consulting. But I thought it'd be worth some discussion here.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 5:04 PM | Comments (1)
June 6, 2006
Dilworth Road Development ..
Gained approval Monday night with a few more concessions from the developer, Shugart Management.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)
June 5, 2006
Sandy Ridge Road closing
Starting Friday (June 9) Sandy Ridge Road will be closed to through traffic between Johnson Street and Squire Davis Road, the NCDOT said Friday afternoon. The closing is so that the Sandy Ridge Road bridge over the Deep River can be replaced.
There will be a detour from Sandy Ridge onto Johnson Street, down to Skeet Club Road and up Dilworth Road to Squire Davis Road -- and vice versa -- during the closure.
Sandy Ridge Road will reopen in September. See the NCDOT announcement here
.
Posted by Jonathan Jones at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
