As we close out 2015, Holly Springs can celebrate significant accomplishments that added to the economic vitality of the community.
Town Economic Development Director Jenny Mizelle said, “There are many academic definitions of economic development and in a broad sense it can be described as projects, activities and development that support the economic health of the community in the form of increased and diverse tax base and the creation of jobs.”
With that as the framework, let’s look at some economic development highlights in Holly Springs from 2015:
Novartis becomes Seqirus
Following the merger of bioCSL, the vaccine and pharmaceutical business of CSL, with Novartis’s Influenza Vaccines business unit, the companies made progress during the year toward integrating the two companies. Effective Nov. 9, the combined business, a new CSL Group subsidiary, is represented by a new name, Seqirus (Sek-eer-us).
Seqirus company officials said the purchase should not impact the way in which the company currently does business or interacts in the Holly Springs community. Seqirus remains the largest investment in our community.
Banner Year for New Homes
With 644 building permits for new homes issued during the year (up until the week before Christmas,) 2015 became the third highest-ranking growth year in the Town of Holly Springs’ history.
These new homes are under construction and will add more than $124 million to the value of the Town as they are completed and added to the property tax rolls.
The No. 1 year for tax base growth was in 2005 when the Town issued 822 building permits for new homes, and the second highest year followed in 2006 when 796 permits for new homes were issued. In the years following, the economic downtown of the country was evident in Holly Springs with annual building permits for new homes hovering between only 172 (in 2009) and 442 (in 2007.)
This year, the Town returns to some of its pre-recession economic strength.
Towns use data on issuance of new home building permits as a means of gauging growth and tax base value. In addition, Holly Springs managed to shake off the recession doldrums in non-residential development. Permits were issued for major business projects, including Holly Springs Towne Center Phase II, Chili’s restaurant, Dairy Queen and a new Eagles in South Park Village shopping center; the three-story climate-controlled Storage Max in the Holly Springs Business Park; and the International House of Pancakes.
Another new construction project is for RoviSys in the Holly Springs Business Park, a multi-million-dollar project that will bring between 120 and 200 engineering jobs to the community.
RoviSys Lands in Holly Springs
Since its founding in 1989 in Aurora, Ohio as one of the first control systems integrators in North America, RoviSys has evolved from its original first two employees to become a leading independent provider of comprehensive process automation solutions and services with 525 employees company-wide with offices throughout the United States, Asia and Europe.
RoviSys is leaving leased space in Apex to move into its own space in the Holly Springs Business Park. The move will bring between 120 and 200 engineering and support jobs to Holly Springs over the next few years.
The company serves other industries by reviewing their processes and suggesting ways to increase productivity or automate processes. Founder John Robertson addressed the Holly Springs Town Council recently and said his company has the resources, experience and skills to solve and support practically any process automation and integration challenge.
Holly Springs Tops the County in Job Growth
Before counting the jobs that should be realized here due to RoviSys, Holly Springs leads Wake County in job growth, thanks largely to the Town’s efforts to foster and encourage business retention and expansion.
According to a N.C. Department of Commerce report, so far this year, Holly Springs businesses have employed nearly 3,000 more people than in 2010 – a 26% increase in employment over the five-year period.
Ms. Mizelle and Economic Development Project Manager Irena Krstanovic are the power team of the town’s economic development department. Because research shows that 86 percent of new jobs in a community are created by existing companies, Ms. Mizelle and Ms. Krstanovic devote much of their time assisting Holly Springs businesses by staying in contact with them, helping to fulfill their needs and connecting them to local resources.
Because they recognize that helping companies already in the community to grow and survive is just as important as recruiting huge new industry, the two reached out to more than 200 businesses in town during the past year. In time, they build relationships with local businesses.
An Eye Toward 2016
With a busy and successful year winding down, the Town looks forward to 2016 with anticipation.
Topping the list of projects that may have significant impact on the community:
Ting Internet is leasing unused “dark” fiber in the Town’s network to bring service at gigabit download and upload speeds to homes and businesses in Holly Springs. Ting, a division of Tucows Inc., will begin right away assessing demand throughout town. Depending on demand, construction could begin as soon as the first half of 2016.
Coworking space will open in Holly Springs in the former police station on Ballentine Street. Once the police department moves into its new digs on Holly Springs Road, the vacant building will be leased to Lighthouse Recruiting who will manage coworking space for local professionals who seek part-time office environments.
The Town has identified land and in 2016 will prepare studies required in the application process for a certified site designation for economic development of the property.
Holly Springs Rex Hospital is still on track for development over the next 24-36 months, and transportation plans will be laid this coming year to handle the unique traffic that is generated by a full-service hospital.
Construction on the North Main Athletic Complex was mostly finished during 2015; however, last-minute grant funding made available by Wake County enabled the Town to add back features of the project that previously had been cut to keep the project within its budget constraints. The new additions – including extra restrooms, a beverage pavilion and landscaped gardens should be completed and in use for the public in early 2016.
The new Town of Holly Springs Law Enforcement Center will provide a new home for all units of the police department with room for expansion in the coming years. The police department has operated from cramped and inadequate quarters for several years.
Three major road projects are aimed at improving traffic flow onto and off of Avent Ferry Road. Intersection improvements at Avent Ferry Road and Hwy. 55 Bypass should unclog the bottleneck that occurs at the existing 8-cycle light as it is upgraded to a two-cycle light; the construction of Main Street Extension should divert about 30% of the commuter traffic away from Avent Ferry Road; and the subsequent widening of Avent Ferry Road should increase the capacity of the roadway. The intersection project will begin and end in 2016. Main Street Extension will begin in 2016 and end in 2017. The widening project is anticipated to begin shortly after, depending on funding availability at the State level.
Another local elementary school will open in the Fall of 2016. Oakview Elementary School is under construction on Holly Springs-New Hill Road near the entrance of 12 Oaks subdivision.
As the Town of Holly Springs steps into 2016, we will look back at 2015 as the year we awoke with renewed energy from a long nap of an economic recession, and we will work in 2016 to maintain the momentum we gained from not only surviving the economic downturn but thriving within it.
Article courtesy of the Town of Holly Springs
