The 'Penslow' plan: From more shopping to roads, eastern Pender maps out future growth

As growth continues in Southeastern North Carolina, the influx of more residents comes with the Topsail region seeing its share of new buildings.

"You're only seeing certain kinds of developments mostly and what I'm seeing in the news is another storage place and another apartment," said Scott Franko, board chairman for The Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. "Well, we have to get more than that."

To prepare, the chamber hosted Envision Penslow 2040, an economic planning summit in Holly Ridge. The March event was held at Onslow Bay Boatworks in the Camp Davis Industrial Park, which is home to many businesses. UPS is planning to build a distribution center at park, one of the biggest signs of growth coming to the Topsail region. It will support a higher volume of package deliveries throughout eastern North Carolina and will be the largest economic development project for Onslow County in 40 years.

Leaders from nearby eastern Pender County want to be ready for more growth, too. The summit included around 80 representatives from Hampstead, Holly Ridge, Jacksonville, North Topsail Beach, Onslow County, Pender County, Scotts Hill, Surf City, Topsail Beach, and other state organizations.

Connecting boundaries

Steven Hill, executive director of the chamber, said the overall concept was to get all of those people in the same room for planning and to unite on common goals. Another goal is to point developers in the right direction in the Topsail region.

"There are so many different entities that come together in this little area," he said. "There needs to be a blanket organization that is collectively supporting them all, who can help be a point of contact for anybody looking to do business here."

The Topsail Chamber is forming a focus group to research and move forward with work identified at the summit.

What's the focus?

With issues impacting county, municipal, and military boundaries, the summit focused on five key issues with help from facilitators: Water resources, business/industry development, transportation mapping, utilities expansion, and community planning.

Franko hopes the organization becomes "a collection basket" for information and resources.

"There's a perception out there by a lot of folks in the region that we seem to focus on our problems and challenges, and some things are obvious like sewer," Franko said. "But not everybody is aware that each group on their own are already addressing these same topics, but no one is talking to each other."

What's the vision?

At this point, Franko said there isn't a collective vision for the region with seven communities in two counties. But the meeting was a major starting point when it comes to infrastructure and population.

One issue he brought up was the region's shopping and entertainment options and how the county misses out on tax revenue going to other counties like New Hanover or places like Myrtle Beach.

"Things come up and do you really want to drive 40 minutes in either direction for a pair of jeans?" he said. "That stuff is going to get addressed in the future."

Some of the things mentioned is not having a sports complex, movie theater, or new trends such as Topgolf, an entertainment venue which offers visitors a high-tech driving range, lounge, and sports bar. A water park and a grocery store on the Onslow side of Topsail will also be welcomed.

"As this area grows, and you look at what a growing population needs, then I'm sure this area will respond accordingly over time if we plan accordingly so we can do those things," Franko said.

Hill said growth is not going to slow down, especially if more military families are moving to the area. He believes it's important to stay ahead of the curve.

"There's not going to be any rural area between Wilmington and Jacksonville," Hill said. "It will be built up. We need to work now to make sure it's built up in the most positive way for our communities and the most economically supportive way that we possibly can."

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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Pender and Onslow counties connect to address needs, manage growth