Lincoln County Controlling 10% Growth With “Measured Approach”

LINCOLN CO., N.C. — New facilities, new business, and new homes. Lincoln County is growing, fast, just not too fast says Andrew Bryant.

“I certainly think Lincoln County doesn’t want to make the mistakes that some of the other communities around Charlotte have that have become overburdened with new development and growth,” explained Bryant.

Bryant is the director of Development Service in Lincoln County. He’s burdened with the task of handling the 10.2% growth in the last 3 years.

While other counties have 10+ municipalities, Lincoln County has only Lincolnton to govern itself.

“Our development ordinances apply countywide, and it does make managing growth a bit harder,” said Bryant.

Unincorporated Denver is major driver for the county’s growth. Driving has become a bit of touchy subject for many in the county.

“That’s some of the biggest complaints that we get when we have public hearings for new developments is. That the roads are too congested and that there’s too much traffic and you can’t get anywhere in eastern Lincoln County,” Bryant tells WCCB’s Gary Brode.

The brunt of the traffic may be in Denver, but it seems to be moving to Lincolnton, along with more business.

Noah Jenkins grew up in Lincolnton. He’s now a realtor in the area.

“People are coming from the Gastonia area. They’re looking to come to Lincolnton, you know, the West Lincoln area where there’s a ton of land. They’re getting houses with 1 to 2 acres or things like that.

The city of just about 12,000 is set to get a big boost soon. More than 500 homes are being built a mile down the road from Lincolnton Middle School.

As the county demographic begins to skew younger, schools are dealing with overcrowding.

“They’re starting to see that growth come in, and they’re starting to feel those growing pains,” said Bryant of the schools.

Bryant tells me the school system is planning an expansion of several elementary schools mainly in the eastern part of the county to help absorb some of that growth.