Sanford’s SAGA announces upcoming event at Target shopping center

The Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA) shared project updates and reviewed policies and the interactive GIS tool for development transparency at the March 2 Public Policy Luncheon.

Director of Economic Development Todd Tucker said the Riverbirch Shopping Center redevelopment, with a Target store under construction, will have an April event, but did not reveal details.

CORRECTION: The developers are choosing between two grocery stores. There will not be two grocery stores.

Tucker said investors showed a lot of interest in Sanford development within the first two months of 2026, but they also had “a lot of uncertainty.”

Tucker said key industry interests were batteries, life and science fields, components for the electrical grid, and the food and beverage market. Investors wanted spaces anywhere from “50,000 square feet to 250,000 square feet.”

SAGA will host a ribbon-cutting for the new farmer’s market, Pilgrim’s Sanford Agricultural Marketplace, which most attendees shortened to Pilgrim’s Market, on March 25 at 3 p.m. It opens on April 4.

In May, 10 downtown Sanford apartments will become available for rent, along with three downstairs retail spaces. Contact Martha Lucas Realty for more information.

Downtown business owners will now have the opportunity to meet at 9 a.m. or 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.

Lee County Schools Superintendent Chris Dossenbach announced that for the first time, Broadway Elementary School won the $75,000 academic award, and it was split among the employees.

The school district was awarded two grants, one at $20,000 for enhancing construction costs and another for a career exploration trailer.

Zoning Administrator Thomas Mieriesh reviewed how to use Sanford’s interactive GIS tools.

Go to the City of Sanford’s website and search “Development Activity Tracking List,” and a list of options will populate. This is the residential development search option.

The public may view site plans which have pages of information, including zoning requirements, addresses, names, status and type.

Look here at the Target site plans.

Look here for the 2025 submitted project list.

“Growing pains are a fantastic thing,” SAGA member and Sanford Real Estate agent John Ramsperger said.

Ramsperger asked what to do about the public being angry over Dollar General stores and vape shops being approved by the Town of Sanford.

Mierisch explained that the state placed laws to force towns to allow uses in areas zoned for those uses.

When Mierisch was asked about stormwater runoff from one property to another, the subject thickened.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, North Carolina’s Sedimentation Pollution Control Act (SPCA) mandates that developers and private property owners must take “reasonable measures” to prevent erosion and sediment damage.

In the Town of Sanford, developers are not required to preserve any vegetation when they have fewer than 30 lots. Vegetation helps control erosion and sediment damage.

Senior Planner David Montgomery encouraged the public to participate in the Downtown Sanford Small Area Plan. View the survey here.

March 2, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

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