Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) recently released its quarterly progress report, highlighting its activities and initiatives for the quarter ended March 31.
“MCEDP is pleased to share two project wins this quarter,” said Natalie Hawkins, MCEDP president, in a media release. “After MCEDP worked with Amazon and First Tee-Sandhills over several months to help facilitate their searches for suitable sites, each made public announcements recently about their respective plans to locate new facilities in Moore County.”
Highlighted activities and successes this third quarter of the MCEDP fiscal year included:
*In January, Amazon announced plans to construct a 65,000 square-foot last mile distribution facility on +/- 16 acres of the Southern Pines Corporate Park. In March, First Tee of the Sandhills announced plans to locate their headquarters and a community hub on +/- 35 acres in Cameron.
*MCEDP applied for a $75,000 USDA Rural Business Development Grant to obtain a Bioeconomy Development Opportunity Rating and stimulate the recruitment of woody biobased businesses, such as wood-based manufacturing and clean energy production, to Moore County.
*On behalf of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, MCEDP staff attended the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference in March and met with hotel and investor representatives to discuss opportunities for new hotel investments in Moore County.
*MCEDP visited five manufacturers this quarter and connected them to customized workforce training opportunities, English as a Second Language resources, and helped secure four engineering student interns through NC State University’s Rural Works Program to work at two of the manufacturers’ facilities.
*MCEDP continued to work with the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the design and construction plans for the access road to the Iron Horse Industrial Park in Aberdeen. MCEDP submitted information required to secure the permits due to the road’s impact on wetlands. NCDOT provided a timeline that estimates road construction will begin in February/March 2026 and be completed in September/October 2026.
*After securing a one-year option to purchase the 42-acre site off NC Highway 24/27 in Robbins, MCEDP used funding from a $35,000 NC’s Southeast product development grant this quarter to complete several due diligence analyses, including a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and wetlands delineation. None of the reports identified any obstacles to the potential future development of the property as a business park site.
*MCEDP engaged in a unique opportunity this quarter to collaborate with Lee & Chatham counties and other partners to help begin organizing a regional music festival planned for 2026. Ray Williams, a prominent British music & film producer who discovered Elton John and managed his career for several years, is leading the planning group for the festival in the three counties.
*At the March 4 Moore 100 Members Meeting, Patrick Bowen, president of Bowen National Research, presented the findings from the Moore County Housing Needs Assessment study his firm conducted in 2024. The study revealed demand for housing will continue to increase as Moore County is projected to grow by 4.2% between 2023 and 2028. This growth will contribute to an estimated housing gap of over 7,700 units between 2024 and 2029.
*This quarter, the 30+ member Moore County Land Use Plan Steering Committee concluded its nine-month review of the county’s 2013 Land Use Plan and provided their report of suggested plan goals, recommendations, and actions that prioritizes preserving rural agricultural areas and implementing a “small town model” to prevent urban sprawl. The Steering Committee’s report is available on Moore County’s website at https://www.moorecountync.gov/506/Land-Use-Plan-Update.
*MCEDP’s Moore 100 group and its annual Progress Cup golf tournament provide critical funding for MCEDP’s economic development activities and initiatives in Moore County. Moore 100’s next Members Meeting is June 16, where representatives from NCDOT will speak about in-progress and planned transportation improvements and their impacts in Moore County. The 13th annual Progress Cup tournament is May 28 at Mid Pines, featuring a best ball format. For more information about joining Moore 100 and/or participating in the tournament, contact [email protected].
The full quarterly progress report for the quarter ended March 31 can be viewed on the MCEDP website at www.moorecountyedp.org.
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Feature photo: Downtown Southern Pines by Cow McFarland/Sandhills Sentinel.
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