MCEDP

Anyone considering a move to Moore County will, in the very foreseeable future, have a lot more residential options to choose from.

As other rural areas lose residents to suburban and urban environments, Moore County is bucking that trend. Moore County grew its population by 13 percent during the 2010s and is now home to over 100,000 people.

Residential development is sprouting up all across the area, and Aberdeen and Carthage, in particular, seem to be hotbeds of activity.

Carthage

The county seat of Carthage is a small community full of history and small-town charm.  The population is currently less than 3,000, but substantial residential development on the horizon will significantly grow its population.

Looking ahead, there are more than 1,800 units of housing, including townhomes, apartments, and single-family homes, approved for development in Carthage. There are also ambitious plans for a mixed-use development at Little River Resort that includes high-end single-family homes, retail space, and a medical complex.

D.R. Horton Inc., the nation’s largest homebuilder, purchased 54 lots in Carthage adjacent to Carriage Place, an existing D.R. Horton subdivision of single-family homes along Savannah Garden Drive. D.R. Horton’s website confirms that new 1,416-1,429 square-foot townhomes are coming Spring-Summer 2022 to Carriage Place in Carthage.

Southbury, another new phase of single-family homes adjacent to Carriage Place, is also in the works.  D.R. Horton’s website states that Southbury will have new “smart” homes ranging from 1,764 to 2,824 square feet with ranch and 2-story designs.

Most recently revealed is a proposed concept for Carthage Landing that would include 382 single-family homes on 6,000 square-foot lots located roughly between Green Acres and Priest Hill roads. Of the 132.2-acre property, 8.5 acres is planned for commercial development. The developer has not yet taken this proposed concept through the formal application process and the required process for zoning approval.

Aberdeen

As the 3^rd most populous community (behind Pinehurst and Southern Pines) in Moore County, the Town of Aberdeen is a growing community of currently more than 8,500 residents.  Like Carthage, it has historical character and the allure of a small southern town.

But Aberdeen is looking at more contemporary development trends and wants to turn the former Aberdeen Elementary School and its grounds into a modern new mixed-use development containing apartments, homes and retail.

The Town is seeking to rezone 17.7 acres for a project called Aberdeen Station that will include up to 40 single-family homes and 36 multifamily units on the former elementary school campus located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and Elm Street.

The development is divided into three areas. The first includes an existing auditorium and gymnasium that the school previously used. The town will keep that area and invest money into upgrades for the facilities. The second area is mixed-use, turning former classrooms into ground-floor retail with apartments on top. The third area will turn former activity fields used by the school into single-family home lots.

Also in the pipeline is the much larger Martin Farms development with plans for up to 515 homes and 38,000 square feet of retail and office space spread across 230 acres. Last August, Aberdeen approved an annexation request for 131.37 acres of the larger property. This site is located next to the newly-constructed Aberdeen Elementary School off N.C. Highway 5 and is proposed to include single-family homes and townhomes. The goal is to create a walkable community in which a multi-use greenway path and sidewalks will connect the residential sections to the small retail & office area and to the new Aberdeen Elementary.

In November, a 37-acre parcel located along Bethesda Road just east of downtown Aberdeen was annexed for Bethesda Pines, a proposed 74-lot housing subdivision.

Carthage and Aberdeen are not alone, however, as Pinehurst, Southern Pines and other areas of Moore County are also seeing increased interest from residential and mixed-use developers. In addition to developments that have already been approved, there are a substantial number of proposed developments currently in the pipeline for review.

This flurry of activity attests that Moore County and its communities are growing, desirable places to live, and much of the reason comes down to the undeniably exceptional quality of life we are fortunate to enjoy here.

For more information about finding the perfect home in Moore County, contact our local Mid Carolina Regional Association of Realtors who can connect you to a real estate agent.

(Original articles by Evan Hoopfer, Triangle Business Journal; Image from TBJ)