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Why E.C.?

A City on the Move

Updated May 7, 2009

By any measure — business development, retail expansion or cultural variety — Elizabeth City is a city on the move. Here's a summary of projects of note, recently completed or in the pipeline, as of May 2009.

Recent Openings

DRS Division of Aviation
DRS recently doubled its capacity to service C-130 and CH-144 aircraft with the addition of a second 80,000 square-foot hangar adjacent to the Elizabeth City Pasquotank Regional Airport. DRS is hiring an additional 100 workers, bringing its total employment in Elizabeth City to 320. DRS opened its current facility in February 2006.

Telephonics Technical Support Services
Telephonics Corporation entered into a long-term agreement with the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Regional Airport in March to establish a Telephonics Technical Support Services Business. The corporation plans to construct a 22,000 square-foot facility, including a hangar, office space and equipment repair facilities on the airport property.

Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
This upscale Virginia-based chain opened its first North Carolina store in Elizabeth City in January 2005. The 50,000-square-foot store includes a Starbucks.

Wal-Mart Supercenter
This 208,000 square-foot facility with an additional 30,000 square feet of adjacent retail space opened to huge crowds in January 2007 in one of Wal-Mart’s most successful grand openings.

W.C. Witherspoon Memorial Library and Public Safety Building
The 22,500 square-foot library and facing public safety building in downtown Elizabeth City opened June 2007.

Museum of the Albemarle
This northeastern regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History, with 54,000 square feet of exhibit, event and office space, opened on the Elizabeth City waterfront in April 2006.

Fairfield Inn & Suites
This 96-room extended-stay format hotel by Marriott on City Center Boulevard off the Halstead Road corridor opened October 2008.

Food Lion
A new 38,000-square-foot Food Lion opened October 2008 on the Weeksville Highway near Elizabeth City State University.

Elizabeth City Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park
This $13-million project takes advantage of one of Elizabeth City’s greatest economic assets: proximity to the US Coast Guard Air Station and its growing aircraft-overhaul operation. The 63-acre research and commerce park will include the Elizabeth State University School Aviation Science, and the College of the Albemarle, which will offer an FAA-certified Airframe and Power Plant maintenance training program. Phase I of the the three-phase project, expected to create 800 jobs and attract $150 million in capital investment, broke ground in October 2008 and will be completed in June.

Albemarle Hospital Emergency Room Expansion and New Surgery Center
Work began in July 2008 on a $44-million construction project to expand the emergency department and build a new surgery center at Albemarle Hospital. The 38,000 square-foot emergency room and 31,000 square-foot surgery center are on schedule for completion in June.

Arts of the Albemarle Gallery and Performing Arts Center
Renovatoins began in November 2007 on the historic Lowry-Chesson Building, one block from the downtown waterfront, and were completed in March. The $4-million center is home to Arts of the Albemarle and Encore Theater troupe.

In the Pipeline

Conference Hotel
The Albemarle EDC's Downtown Waterfront Development Committee has held extended discussions with developer Paul Galloway about the possibility of a mixed-use project to include a marina, conference hotel and center, condominiums and retail on the Elizabeth City waterfront. The developer and the City of Elizabeth City are in the process of developing cost estimates and identifying potential funding sources for the $36-million project.

Why E.C.?