Harnett County Looks to Piggyback on Research Triangle Cachet

But Hartgrove tells Globest.com that new economic incentives and particularly the four-laning of an 18-mile stretch of highway may attract developers and pave the road to recovery for this rural area close to the Research Triangle.

"In that 18-mile stretch, there are probably less than 20 or maybe less than 10 commercial enterprises," the county official says. "It's really wide open for any opportunities."

The four-laning of NC 87 from Harnett County's capital, Lillington, to Fayetteville is expected to be completed within a year.

Traffic along NC 87 is about 18,000 vehicles a day, or the second most active in the country behind only I-95, with 80,000 vehicles a day, according to Hartgrove.

"So we think there's already a lot of traffic, and residential growth in that area has been strong and should also increase," he tells GlobeSt.com.

The paradox in Harnett County, less than 50 miles southeast from the far more bustling Research Triangle, is that increasing numbers of people moved here even as textiles and other industries closed plants.

Harnett was the eighth fastest-growing county in the state at the last US Census count. The county's population grew 34% between 1990 and 2000, up to 91,000 residents.

"What's driving that growth is we're close to the Research Triangle, which is the state's second largest metro area, and on our southwest border is Cumberland County, which includes Fayetteville and is the fourth largest metro area," Hartgrove says. He notes another geographical attraction of the area is its proximity to the massive Fort Bragg military base.

Harnett County Manager Neil Emory says that despite the growth, retail has yet to build much for rural residents, who frequently travel to such higher-density cities such as Fayetteville to shop.

But it's not just retail being sought here. Among properties being marketed are some multi-million-sf textile mills. Industrial rental rates are typically only $2.50 per sf to $3 per sf, Hartgrove says.

"The Triangle's still pretty hot and we hope to capitalize on those companies that maybe don't want to be in the Research Triangle but want to be close by," Hartgrove says.

Targeted industries range from bio-technological, information technology, plastics, and automotive parts and accessories, among others.

There is no class A office space in the county and Hartgrove does not anticipate any in the near future.

County economic development officials are working towards building "shovel-ready sites" where industrial builders can start work immediately without waiting for permits. And there are ongoing talks with Campbell University about a joint venture such as industrial park.