Revival in Roseboro

Michael B. Hardison, The Sampson Independent, Clinton, N.C.
·4 min read

Dec. 24—A major economic boon is coming to Roseboro following the town's recent purchase of a building downtown, which is part of a planned building rehabilitation project. If that wasn't exciting enough, the town also received a huge grant to help complete the project.

The purchase was made for a vacant two-story building, located on 109-C Roseboro St. The anticipated outcome of the project is to turn it into a high-quality, rehabbed space that will be leased for high-quality retail or restaurant use on the first floor, and two one-bedroom apartments on the second floor to address affordable housing.

While nothing major is happening inside just yet, Roseboro Small Town Main Street Director Randi Kelly says excitement about the purchase is already causing buzz.

"You can already start to see the excitement and the difference in the community," Kelly said. "I mean, when you think about it you can ride though downtown at night now with our three existing restaurants and see activity."

"We're always seeing cars lined up downtown and we've got a lot of other moving parts that are complementary to what this initiative is going to do. It's about transformation and that's really where we are, being about transformation."

As of right now nothing is set in stone to locate inside the building when completed, but there's a major push for a coffee shop to accompany the proposed apartments.

To help fund the rehabilitation project, entitled "Growing Downtown Roseboro Roots Building Rehabilitation Project," the Town of Roseboro was awarded $825,000 to support the project's completion. That money came from a Rural Transformation Grant Fund recently announced by Governor Roy Cooper.

In a press release issued last Wednesday from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which administers the funds, the specifics of the grant funding were detailed.

Cooper announced Dec. 14 that 42 local governments in rural areas across the state have been awarded grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, supporting rural economic development projects in North Carolina. A total of $19.76 million will be issued in the second round of grantmaking from the fund, which helps local governments overcome challenges that limit their economic competitiveness.

The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, signed by President Biden last year. The North Carolina Department of Commerce and its Rural Economic Development Division administers the fund.

"I thank Liz Parham, NC Commerce Director, she came down, walked around and they have been very instrumental in kind of helping us, guiding us and given us thoughts and ideas of how we can improve," Roseboro Mayor Alice Butler said. "It's been wonderful watching, over the last seven to 10 years, how things have changed. It does take time, but you've got to be willing to take the time to see these transformations."

According to information from the press release on The Rural Transformation Grant Fund, grants were awarded in four categories and Roseboro fell into at least one in order to have received funding. The categories include:

—The Downtown Revitalization category, which supports downtown development initiatives that help grow and leverage a community's commercial core into an asset for economic growth and prosperity.

—The Resilient Neighborhoods category, which offers grants focused on community development and quality of life improvements, such as eliminating food deserts, creating healthy living initiatives, and increasing access to affordable housing options, among other initiatives.

—The Community Enhancements for Economic Growth category, which provides grants to local governments to smooth the way for economic development opportunities, such as the acquisition of land and buildings, the preparation of business sites, and the removal of structural and physical barriers that may be limiting development.

—The Rural Community Capacity Building (RC2) category, which provides educational and professional development opportunities for local government staffs, with the additional ability for local governments to then 'apply what they've learned' by developing funding proposals for projects in their local areas.

"In my time here, this is like restoring hope for everyone," Tyler Wise, Roseboro's Lead for North Carolina Fellow, said. "I think it's been so funny to watch just how happy the business owners are to work with the town. You got individual people being transformative, you have the talent working to transform and it's really changing."

"Everyone is always talking to me about how vibrant Roseboro once was," Wise continued. "Well now it's like you're getting back to those days again, so I've loved watching it and I think it's a really exciting time in Roseboro."

The potential for growth doesn't stop there either as more grant money could be available in the future. The press released also noted that a third window for grant applications is expected to open in the spring of 2023.

More information about the Rural Transformation Grant Fund is available at nccommerce.com/transform.

Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.