Lincoln County Manages 10% Growth With “Measured Approach”

LINCOLN CO., NC – New facilities, new businesses and new homes. Lincoln County is growing, fast, not too fast says Andrew Bryant.

“I definitely think Lincoln County doesn’t want to make the mistakes that some of the other communities around Charlotte have that have been overwhelmed by new development and growth,” Bryant explained.

Bryant is the director of Development Services in Lincoln County. He is burdened with the responsibility of handling the growth of 10.2% in the last 3 years.

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

“Our development laws apply countywide, and it makes management more difficult,” said Bryant.

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

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

The traffic jam may be in Denver, but it seems to be moving to Lincolnton, along with more businesses.

Noah Jenkins group in Lincolnton. Now he is a businessman in the area.

“People are 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 get houses with 1 to 2 acres or so.

The city of 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’s population begins to fluctuate, schools are grappling with overcrowding.

“They’re starting to see the growth come in, and they’re starting to feel that pain,” said Bryant of the school.

Bryant tells me the school system is planning to expand several elementary schools, especially in the eastern part of the county, to help absorb some of that growth.