ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A stretch of Interstate 85 in Rowan County is nearly abandoned but now a developer wants to invest millions in the area.
A new interchange at I-85 and Old Beatty Ford Road is being built could help make it happen.
Some said it could be the catalyst for major development that south Rowan County desperately needs.
Nearly 7 miles of the stretch had no exits for nearly a decade leaving hundreds of acres of undeveloped land cut off from the interstate.
"The interchange is going to open that area up,” Rowan County Commissioner Craig Pierce said. "The potential for growth is just exponential."
The developer, who has ties to the county, wants to build A mixed-use development on the 300 acres of land, which would include 600 homes, trails and commercial space.
"This is our opportunity,” Pierce said. “Our only opportunity and it won't come again. We need to get this right or Rowan County's done."
Pierce said the project would help it compete with neighboring communities that have already seen development along I-85. Some residents agree.
"Every county has built up except for Rowan County,” resident Laushara Ford said. “There's nothing out here. There is a lack of job opportunities."
Sealing the deal will cost about $18 million needed to provide water and sewer to south Rowan County. The county would likely have to borrow the money but Pierce said it's worth it and something that should have been done decades ago.
“Where would Rowan (County) be in comparison to Cabarrus and even Mecklenburg had we had the infrastructure to bring that industrial development here?” Pierce said.
That development would reportedly have an economic impact of more than $500 million on the county.
Commissioners are still debating if it should finance that sewer water project and how to do it.