CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Approaching 2023, two of Charlotte's biggest suburbs are planning for more explosive growth.
"We're trying to continue to grow in a very orderly manner," Concord Mayor Bill Dusch said.
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Concord is now the tenth-largest city in North Carolina. It's attracted big-name companies recently including Red Bull and Eli Lilly that will bring more than 2,000 high-paying jobs. It's a far cry from where city leaders found themselves when Phillip Morris shut down and 2,500 jobs nearly fifteen years ago.
"We had to reinvent ourselves," Dusch said.
Dusch said he's excited about a new streetscape in downtown and plan to increase green space and parks through Concord.
In Gastonia, the struggle is the same.
"It's fast and furious," Mayor Pro Tem Dave Kirlin said. "The excitement is certainly growing in the downtown area, and it's spilling out into the local neighborhoods around there. Real estate is just absolutely exploding."
Gastonia is actively investing in infrastructure, business development, and affordable housing.
"Trying to manage this growth in a very prudent fashion," Kirlin said. "We're exploding right now."
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