This week’s column entry is all about Chatham County business goings-on, which is nice. The impetus for this column was to provide a look at what’s happening for businesses in Chatham, but since things have been fairly slow recently, there hasn’t been a whole lot to talk about.
Now there is, as we can point to three arguably positive things taking place.
Chatham Park picks four builders for second phase of Vineyards
The Vineyards neighborhood, the first residential area of the colossus that is Chatham Park, has picked up four custom builders to kick off a second section of housing.
A post on Chatham Park’s website says the four builders — Prewitt Custom Homes, Upright Builders and Walker DesignBuild of Cary and Upton & Co. of Morrisville — were “hand selected for their reputation and expertise in the custom home market.” The homes, which are now available for pre-sale, will be located across from a 10-acre park and the Thales Academy campus currently under construction.
“These four companies are among the premiere custom builders in our community,” Vanessa Jenkins, executive vice president of Preston Development Company, said in the post. “The collective craft of these locally owned building companies will be integral as we continue our pursuit to develop the perfect community for our future residents.”
Side note: New home sales have been one of the few things at least somewhat positive in the current economy. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce said last week that new home sales went up by 0.6 percent in April compared to March.
Chatham EDC offering new COVID-19 loan
The Chatham Economic Development Corporation announced last week that applications were open for a fund for local businesses who had been affected by COVID-19.
The organization said the Chatham Loan Fund “helps entrepreneurs and small business access capital by providing collateral towards loans. Through the updated program, businesses can access up to $10,000 as collateral to cover 100 percent of a loan to be used as working capital.” The loan applications will be reviewed by the EDC’s Board of Directors.
To be eligible, businesses must have been in operation for at least a year, not exceed more than $3 million in annual revenue and be located in an “area appropriately zoned for business” within county borders. The money can only be used for “working capital or operational funds.” To apply, head to chathamedc.org.
TBJ: Lowes Foods grocery store coming to Mosaic
The Triangle Business Journal’s Caleb Harshberger reported last week that Lowes Foods, a Winston-Salem-based grocery store chain, filed plans in April to bring a location to the Mosaic development in Pittsboro. According to the report, Northwood Lowes Foods will include a 50,000-square-foot grocery store, 8,400 square-feet of retail space and a gas station.
Phase 1 of Mosaic, announced last year, included tenants like Town Hall Burger + Beer, People’s Coffee, EDGE Aveda Day Spa and UNC Urgent Care. Lowes Foods currently has one Chatham County location — anchoring a shopping center off of U.S. Highway 15-501 in the Chapel Hill portion of the county.
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.