Denver, NC - Future Development

At East Lincoln Betterment Association’s (ELBA) last meeting in early January, Lincoln County’s Director of Planning & Inspections spoke about upcoming projects for Denver, the eastern part of the county.  ELBA meets monthly in Denver at St. Peter by the Lake Episcopal Church.  These meetings are open to the public.

The Planning & Inspections Director focused on growth in the eastern part of Lincoln County, and future planning for Denver.  Denver is predicted to grow tremendously over the next 5-10 years.  The Director provided brief explanations of different areas of growth:

PEOPLE:

• 2010 Census indicated 84,000 people live in Lincoln County.  The 2020 prediction is 100,000 people – with 10,000 of those living in eastern Lincoln County.
• Of those 10,000 people, most of them will live EAST of Highway 16
• By 2025, eastern Lincoln County is predicted to be the most populated area of the county

TRANSPORTATION:

• North Pilot Knob Road & Highway 73 will have a new interchange.  The short cut-through road onto North Pilot Knob will be eliminated & there will be a two-way road instead of an off-ramp onto Highway 73
• Carolina Ridge (Trilogy Community) will have a side entrance into the neighborhood off Highway 73.  You can already see this developing across from the East Lincoln High School bus parking.  There will be additional turn lanes on Little Egypt for this community’s entrance
• Highway 73 will be widened from Highway 16 to Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville.  This is scheduled to begin in 2021, with a new bridge being constructed as well.
• The Unity Church Road & Highway 16 intersection will be reconfigured starting in 2020, with construction beginning in 2023.

HOUSING:

• Carolina Ridge:  This Trilogy Lake Norman development by Shea Homes is currently under construction at Highway 73 & Little Egypt Road.  The plan is for 1650 units – single family & attached – an active adult community on 606 acres.  Shea Homes plans a 7-9 year build-out with the first homes available this fall.
• Rivercross:  Still awaiting county approval, this is a commercial & residential development slated for Highway 16 near Triangle Circle (site of old Denver Days location).  There are plans for 220 single family units, 240 multi-family units and 100,000 square feet of commercial space.  If approved, homes should be available in early 2016.
• Covington:  Landis Reed & Eastwood homes are currently building in this neighborhood off Webbs Road in Denver.  There are 385 units approved here in the former Burton Creek neighborhood
• Villages of Denver:  Currently adding 200 units and the possibility to add an additional 400 units in the future.
• Cottonwood Village:  Denver will have its first hotel, behind Midtown Sundries, at Highways 16 & 73.  In addition to the hotel (yet to be named, brand – in negotiations), 254 apartment units will be built.

As you can see, Denver is growing rapidly & the county is forward-thinking in development.  There are future plans to make the county more walkable with trails, greenways and parks.  The Walking Around Lincoln County (WALC) is currently working on that project.