The day was cold with a hint of sleet and snow in the air. Connie Kincaid looked out at the weather not knowing what to expect. Would all of the months of planning prove successful, or would the weather keep people away?

Kincaid is the executive director of the Concord Downtown Development Corporation, one of several organizations  working to determine the future of the city of Concord, N.C. The day was February 22nd of this year, and the task at hand was the visioning element of the downtown Master Plan. Several residents, business people and community leaders were expected to attend and voice their opinions. More than 70 braved the weather to be there — the future of the downtown was that important.

That is the way it goes in Concord. “A city meeting the future” is the tagline used on city limit signs and on every piece of official paper and business card. It is not just a hopeful aphorism, but one which is put into practice every day. Community and business leaders are concerned with the future of the city and are doing something about it. They are committed to making Concord a mix of progress and heritage, a blend of business, industrial and residential life. 

The word “concord” means agreement, harmony. The city was so-named due to a conflict in 1796 over where to place the county seat of Cabarrus county. When an agreement was finally reached, “Concord,” a place of harmony and agreement, was born on an original tract of 26 acres.

Today, the city covers more than 50 square miles and is home to more than 50,000 people. It is the twelfth largest city in the state. It boasts an impressive list of assets. There is a regional airport that is a hub of activity for general aviation traffic but is also spurring strong industrial growth around it. Lowe’s Motor Speedway has become one of the region’s largest entertainment and tourism draw and supports the local economy with a plethora of racing businesses. Concord Mills attracts shoppers from a 150-mile radius, and has created a retail and commercial boom along Speedway Boulevard. A vibrant downtown district beckons locals and tourists alike with a variety of shopping and dining opportunities. The city owns and operates a championship Dan Maples-designed golf course between the Speedway and Concord Mills. Finally, there is a strong “can do” attitude among the local constituency.

That attitude is constantly being challenged by rapid growth and its by-products. Pressure has been placed on resources vital to continued prosperity.  “We have some challenges,” comments Brian Hiatt, city manager. “Our top three concerns are transportation, water resources and maintaining high levels of service delivery to an increasingly diverse community.” The city has engaged in a number of unique strategies to combat those issues.

Water is the most pressing issue. A combination of drought and a population that is growing at better than nine percent annually has taxed the ability of the three area lakes to provide an adequate supply of water. The solution? For some time city officials have been meeting with officials from Albemarle on the Yadkin River. The Yadkin has tremendous quantities of usable water. In addition, the city has a contract with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department for mutual exchange of water when needed. A connection is now in place at the Mecklenburg-Cabarrus county line.

Concord hopes to benefit from light rail. It is seen as one fix for congestion on area roads while it waits for state DOT funds to arrive for the widening of major thoroughfares such as I-85. In the meantime, the city recently passed a two cent addition to property tax bills to fund local road improvements.  The fund accrues approximately $7 million per year. “We use the fund to add turn pockets, improve traffic flow through timing of lights, and generally improve the quality of our roads,” says Hiatt.

Even with the additional tax, the city boasts one of the lower tax rates in the Charlotte area.

To make the city easier to deal with, Concord opened a call center for city business on January 1st of this year. The city modeled the center on private industry examples, and it handles all departmental questions. In a full service city that provides water, sewer, public health and safety services, the center is getting high marks for improving efficiency.

CT Communications, the local telephone company, worked closely with a city employee design team to put together the infrastructure. Hiatt says, “It is vitally important that we continually strive to be a service organization.”

“The city is absolutely amazing to work with,” comments Tom Ramseur, CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce. He gives high marks to mayor George Liles, the rest of the City Council and to manager Hiatt and his staff. “There is a recognition of the needs of the business community while creating quality growth for a livable community.” 

The chamber is taking on the challenge of dealing with a growing and increasingly diverse community by working to develop a well-educated, willing and able workforce. Their role has been to facilitate the discussion between the community, schools and businesses to make sure that all parties are getting what they need. Ramseur adds, “We have had great support from all parts of the community, especially the community college.”

The South Campus of the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is run by Tim Foley. Foley has been in place for several years and has seen the changes take place in the town and in his student population. “We are seeing growth in all classifications of students,” says Foley, “but demand has been greatest in workforce development.” Businesses in the area are deman-ding a variety of training approaches and seminars. Demand for programs leading to entrance in a four-year school has been rising, but not as fast as the business sector. “We are finding that there is demand for shorter certification programs — ‘just in time training.’ There are not many want ads that ask for an AA degree anymore, but there are plenty that list certification requirements.”

Foley is a proponent of all of the efforts to define a strong common vision for the community. He sits on several local community board of directors, including the Cabarrus County Economic Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce. “There are a lot of efforts out there to create a vision,” he says.  “Efforts are ongoing by the EDC and the Concord Downtown Development Corporation. Even the chamber is getting into the act and coordinating a county wide effort.” That effort is being spearheaded by the chamber of commerce, but includes participation by Concord, Kannapolis, Mt. Pleasant, Harrisburg and Cabarrus County officials. All of the agencies are sharing costs to create a shared vision for the future.

So what does the future look like for Concord? The city will continue to benefit from the economic boom of the Charlotte region, and more and more people will move to town. More importantly, business will continue to look to Concord for high quality office parks and first rate amenities. The Concord Regional Airport will play an increasingly important role in development. The airport is currently equipped with a 5,500 foot runway and an instrument landing system for all weather operation. It handles corporate jets well, but is not able to handle larger jet traffic. 

Hangar space is at a premium, and the business park developed on airport property is virtually built out. The city is currently in the process of expanding the airport to be able to handle bigger planes. There are no firm plans at this time; however, it is clear that commercial and freight operations have been contemplated and would be a positive development in an expanded airport.

“We were fortunate to be brought into such a great project adjacent to the airport,” comments Norman Walters, director of business park development for The Keith Corporation. The company is developing West Winds Business Park, adjacent to Concord Regional Airport. The park has 400 acres to develop across Derita Road from the airport. Even though the park has only been in development a short while, three parcels with a total of approximately 10 acres are under construction at this time. “The park certainly benefits from its location.”

The International Business Park, located on N.C. Highway 73 at its intersection of I-85, is another premier park in Concord. There is a total of 500 acres to develop, with more than half of the space available for development. Maurice Ewing, president of Cabarrus Economic Development, spends a fair amount of time marketing the various business parks. He speaks highly of Concord’s willingness to work with companies looking to relocate to the area. “Concord’s  politicians are clearly top drawer, and Brian [Hiatt] is a consummate professional.”

Over the past few years, several limited service hotels have sprouted up along I-85 to support business and tourist travel. There are currently no full service hotels built to cater to the meeting and conference trade. Soon, however, that gap will be filled in Concord. Plans are being made to build a conference and convention center in conjunction with an Embassy Suites Hotel. It will be built in a prime location — on Speedway Blvd, between the speedway and Concord Mills — and will overlook the 14th and 15th holes of the Rocky River Golf Course. The convention center will be built by Cabarrus County on land owned by the city of Concord. 

Mayor Liles has served for the last eight years, and has governed through the changing times. He credits a successful 1994 referendum allowing liquor by the drink as the spark for so much commercial growth. “I don’t think we would have seen Concord Mills or the surrounding restaurants built without it, nor would we seriously be considered as the site for a full service conference facility.” John Q. Hammons, a developer from Springfield, Missouri, is the one bringing Embassy Suites to Concord. If all goes as planned, ground will break in September of this year.

Back in downtown Concord, business is bustling. The buildings are 95 percent occupied by a variety of specialty stores. There are 11 restaurants downtown, with many more expressing an interest in coming to town. Connie Kincaid, like so many people who have a stake in Concord, is excited by the growth and development. However, her greatest praise is for the people in town.  “We have so many positives to work with here, but our greatest treasure in Concord is our people.” 

The city has a lot going for it. Economic activity is high, focused, and bringing jobs to the people who have relocated there. Challenges are being met and conquered. It is truly a “City meeting the future.”