Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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FREE MONEY
Over 300 Chowan Co
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Ten retailers give preliminary OK to Edenton Commons
Developer pursuing
T. J. Maxx, Marshalls,
Ross and others
By Connie Sage
Contributing Writer
Ten retailers have made pre
liminary commitments for the
proposed Edenton Commons
Shopping Center, including
Lowe’s home improvement cen
ter, Farm Fresh supermarket,
Family Dollar, a drugstore, and
casual dining and fast-food res
taurants, according to the cen
Schools
don’t
meet AYP,
again
Schools will offer
some free tutoring
for students
By Earline White
Managing Editor
Edenton-Chowan Schools
failed to make adequate
yearly progress at each of
its schools for the second
year in a row.
Preliminary data released
last week shows that all
four schools failed to close
achievement gaps among
different groups of students,
as mandated by the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001.
But school officials are re
maining positive.
“Reading and math scores
were higher at D.E Walker
and Chowan in 2006-2007
than the previous year,” Su
perintendent Allan Smith
said.
Under the act, schools
that receive Title I funds
must meet certain guide
lines. Schools are required
to group students based on
race, family income, English
proficiency and other factors
and test them in reading and
See SCHOOLS, Page A2 >►
INDEX
A Local
Opinion...A7
Land Transfers....A4
B Sports
Aces News................ B1
Nascar......B2
C Community News
Upcoming Events......C2
Society.C4
Obituaries...C5
Church.....C6,7
D Classifieds
Buy/Sell/Trade.,...D1
Service Directory.D2
Employment...D4
0
©2006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
ter s developer.
Any agreements with the
chains, including Farm Fresh
and Lowe’s,, are conditional
pending town approval, said Jon
S. Wheeler, president of Wheeler
Interests Investment Real Estate
in Norfolk, Va.
Lowe’s and Farm Fresh super
market are planned as anchors
for the center.
If the shopping center is au
thorized this fall, Wheeler said
there could be a minimum of 30
tenants in the complex, and an
other 10 along the perimeter.
Twenty retailers are actively
Harvest time
r
Earline Whtie/The C howan Herald
Yvonne Holley, 71, of Center Hill, has been working in the field since she was six years old. "I helped my family pick for dif
ferent farmers," she said. Last week she picked, along with seven other ladies, for James Copeland of Virginia Road. Despite
the heat, Holley said she would stay until the work is done. "Since my husband died I've had to hustle to fend for myself."
Southern Bank gets green light in downtown
By Sean Jackson
Staff Writer
Town officials have giv
en the OK for a downtown
bank to expand, paving the
way for the demolition of
existing buildings.
The Town Council recent
ly approved plans by South
ern Bank to reconfigure a
large chunk of the block at
the corner of South Broad
and West Queen streets.
While officials said they’d
reviewed the plan exten
sively for nearly a year, at
least two residents said the
expansion was not good for
their neighborhood.
“It’s going to be a very
tight sight,” architect Art
Swords said during a public
hearing last week.
Mayor Roland Vaughan
noted that the town would
.have a three-year status
review period, should any
concerns about traffic and
parking at the site continue
to crop up.
“I think that (review peri
od) might bring some com
interested in the center, includ
ing a casual Mexican restau
rant, fast-food restaurants not
already iocated in Edenton, and
two banks; half have signed let
ters of intent or are negotiating
contracts.
An off-price retailer, such as
T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or Ross,
also is being pursued.
“We’re trying to sell them on
this market and why they need
to be in Edenton,” Wheeler said.
T.J. Maxx and Marshalls are
owned by the TJX Companies,
a Massachusetts corporation
with eight chains and more than
fort to people’s concerns,”
Vaughan said.
At least two residents
who spoke during the pub
lic hearing voiced concern
about the bank’s expansion,
which will involve the de
molition of a building on
the end of the west side of
South Broad Street to make
way for the new bank.
“You’re pandering to spe
cial interests,” Bob Zem
braski said, “and the inter
est in this case is the bank.”
Barbara King, who lives
across the street from the
two lots that will become
the home of the new South
ern Banks, said commercial
growth has steadily whittled
away at the neighborhood
in the 13 years she has lived
there.
“We value the strong
sense of community that is
alive and well on our block,”
King said.
Council unanimously ap
proved rezoning one of the
two lots from residential to
commercial. Councilman
Sambo Dixon recused him
2,300 stores in the U.S., Canada
and Great Britain. Ross Stores,
based in California, own 771
Ross Dress for Less stores in 27
states and Guam.
Peebles to stay downtown
Peebles department store is
not being lured from its down
town location, Wheeler said, be
cause “we are not trying to un
dermine the existing retail base
in town.”
The local Pebbles, owned by
Stage Stores in Houston, Texas,
earlier this year signed a two
See SHOPPING, Page A2 >
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/ Art Swords, architect
After having been reviewed for over a year. Southern Bank
got unanimous Council approval for a new building.
self from the vote, saying
Southern Bank is one of
his clients. Dixon is an at
torney.
Traffic, design plans
Bank customers would
use an entrance off of South
Broad to park or use a drive
through window, Swords
said.
Motorists would then
use a driveway next to the
Wozelka House to exit onto
West Queen Street.
Officials said that plan
was the best one brought to
the table, and was reviewed
by state Department of
Transportation officials.
Vaughan said the review
period would help ensure
that the proposed traffic
plan remains the best op
tion.
“If that turns out to be a
quagmire on that corner,”
he said, “that will be a mat
ter for future discussion.”
The two-story bank will
have a historic look mirror
ing much of the downtown
business district. In addi
tion to the council and town
Planning Board, Edenton’s
See BANK, Page A2 >
TIMELINE
Aug. ‘06 —Shopping center approved
Winter ‘06 — Lowe’s expresses interest
May ‘07 — Lowe’s submits preliminary
OK to developer
July ‘07 — Developer buys complex site
Sept. 10, ‘07 — Revised site plan expected
to be submitted to Planning Board
Oct. 1, ‘07 — First public hearing
Nov./Dec., ‘07 — If approved, goes before
Town Council
January ‘08—If OK’d by town, construc
tion could begin
Sept-Oct ‘08 -JFirst phase of shopping
center completed
Nov. ‘08 — Stores open
HOMEOWNER'S
INSURANCE
Rates may
not scare
buyers
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Some Realtors say they
don’t expect a 25 percent -
increase in homeowners in
surance rates to scare away
new homebuyers — at least
for now.
In fact, they say, a recently
sluggish home sales mar
ket is beginning to pick up
steam.
Getting into place
Broker Thomas Gregory
of ERA All Seasons Realty
said that he hasn’t had any
prospective homebuyers ask
him about the increase.
“August is typically the
time of year that people are
moving to ‘get in place,’ like
teachers who are coming in
for a new year of school,” he
said.
“So sales are starting to
pick up again.”1 v
Gregory added that people
moving to the community
do not feel real estate prices
are too high here.
He said he doubts they
would find the new insur
ance rate increase unreason
able either, given Chowan
County’s close proximity to
the North Carolina coast.
Instead, he said, he thinks
locals are more likely to be
the opes who feel that the
new across-the-board rate
hike for those living in an
area classified as “coastal
counties” is unfair and un
reasonable.
“I think they’re the ones
who are going to have a
problem with it,” he said.
“People moving here are
used to paying more for
things, so I don’t think it will
be as much of a concern” for
them.
Taxes bigger concern
Broker Nancy Winslow of
Century 21/Top Sale Realty
agrees.
“We do have people ask us
about the insurance rates
locally,” she said, “but typi
cally we’re pretty far along
in the process before that is
sue gets raised.
“Taxes seem to be a lot
more of a concern, at least
See RATES, Page A2 >•
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