Sanford’s TARGET expansion spurs growth, raises county debt questions

Lee Commissioners agreed on a resolution to bring a Target store to Sanford at the Sept. 15 meeting and assist with the Riverbirch Shopping Center’s redevelopment.

The Sanford Area Growth Alliance worked with CASTO-CCM Sanford Owner LLC, Lee County and the City of Sanford to redevelop the Riverbirch Shopping Center. Plans include a Target store, a new-to-market grocery store and other retail outlets officials say will boost the tax base and generate sales tax revenue.

It will create about 200 unskilled labor jobs.

CASTO requested Sanford’s support for up to $2 million in water and sewer upgrades. Under a reimbursement agreement, CASTO funds and installs the infrastructure and will be repaid once the Target and grocery store open. Sanford also plans a separate economic development agreement of up to $4.4 million.

New Elementary School

The board approved a needs-based grant for a new elementary school at the Sept. 15 meeting. It requires a $14 million copay from the county, along with the purchase of the land.

The county has had funds set aside for the purchase of the land.

The grant application is due by Oct. 3, and the approval or denial arrives in about two months.

In estimation, the new elementary school will cost $56 million. The grant provides $42 million, and the county supplies the remaining $14 million.

To find the land, Commissioner Samantha Martin said they should work with the city “who is grabbing land to put these housing developments on and working with developers.”

They have not fully examined existing schools built for expansion nor considered reviving vacant buildings like Riverbirch Shopping Center.

On Sept. 9, the Lee County Board of Education approved the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund Grant application for the construction of a new elementary school to meet the population growth trend following the rapid housing developments in the county.

Coca-Cola Property

The board voted 5 to 2 for purchasing the Coca-Cola property after its public hearing on JP Morgan financing $7,800,000 in Limited Obligation Bonds and paying $3.4 million in interest for the purchase and repairs of the Coca-Cola manufacturing warehouse.

The property will store county safety and public transportation vehicles and serve as a county meeting place.

The Coca-Cola property sold for $2 million less two years ago.

During public comments, citizens addressed balancing growth with the allowance of housing developments with the ability to provide public schools and using tax dollars to purchase more government structures.

Jim Womack said the growth of government was irresponsible because the purchase of the Coca-Cola property was not necessary. He said local realtors and citizens had suggested properties that would suffice last year and did not receive a reply, implying the commissioners had already decided on the Coca-Cola property.

“A responsible government would conduct an RFI [Request For Information]…It has the highest price per square foot that’s ever been purchased in Lee County for a building with limited growth capacity,” Womack said, furthering his argument that conservative government was not in practice because the county needs a new $70 million dollar jail, but the purchase of the Coca-Cola building hinders the debt capacity to fund other county needs.

Martin requested the board pause and consider other properties because the purchase was not necessary.

Commissioner Taylor Vorbeck inquired if staff had received other properties and was told they had been investigated.

“Every time we push back something two or three months, we increase the price 20%. You might as well throw it out the window…You were all in agreeance back in January,” Vorbeck said.

The board made the motion to approve the loan application which will be approved or denied by the financial institution on Oct. 7.

Rezone 430 Acres

In old business, the board approved rezoning 430 acres on Lower Moncure Road from rural agriculture to light industrial after the public hearing when citizens said urban sprawl was a threat because if it was not approved the county would annex it into the town and because industry tax dollars supports building schools more than housing subdivisions.

The planning board had voted against approving the rezoning request because of its potential impact on the countryside and it did not align with Plan SanLee.

The exact light industrial use has not been made public, but there are many allowable uses, including but not limited to a convenience store, garden store, textile mill, florist, hardware, lumber yard, office, drug store, printing, gym, and real estate services.

The board first passed the planning board’s statement option #3: “I make a motion that the request is both consistent and not consistent with the Plan SanLee. It is consistent because approximately 25% of the developable land falls within the Industrial Center land-use type, and the application leverages existing infrastructure. It is not consistent with the Plan SanLee because approximately 75% of the developable land is designated as Countryside, which does not support industrial zoning.”

The board then unanimously approved the rezoning request because it was market-driven and difficult to reason into the long-range land-use plan, nullifying the power and safety of the county’s zoning map.

Old Sanford Brick Property

Upon a request to appear before the board, Bob Joyce presented the 116-acre Old Colon Road Sanford Brick project to transform the property into a construction and landscaping waste site. It has 30 water-filled clay pits.

It would accept and recycle materials, including rock, lumber, sheetrock and dirt.

The property is zoned heavy industrial, and the waste site is classified heavy industrial. Joyce compared the waste site to other “by right” uses, including hog farms.

Joyce requested the board’s approval to begin development at a later date and said Liberty Waste Management has the experience and finances to make the project a success.

After the waste site is filled, Joyce said the company wanted to make it available to the city as a park.

Sept. 16, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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