ALL ABOUT LOCUST NC

The tiny Stanly County city of Locust is bracing for a construction boom that will triple its housing stock within five years.
City planners believe as many as 2,800 homes will be built if all the anticipated projects are developed.
James Inman, city administrator, believes the flood of residential development could swell Locust's population to more than 10,000, up from 2,800 today.
Major subdivisions on the horizon include:
The 1,100-home Villages of Redbridge, a New England-inspired community being developed by Stephen Content of Charlotte. Home prices and other details haven't been disclosed, but site work is under way.
A Reese Gibson-developed community tentatively called Churchill Downs that will feature a horse-farm theme for its 540 homes.
Locust Valley, an 80-home development being built by Locust Valley Construction, a local company. The initial houses are expected to sell for $250,000 to $350,000.
Redah Acres, a development being built by Ridgeview Homes, with prices starting around $200,000.
A 360-home community on the north side of town, likely to be developed by Tyson Properties of Monroe.
A 700-home Craft Homes USA development, also on the north side of town.
Craft Homes officials couldn't be reached for comment on their plans. Sources say the company has 200 acres under contract for the project.
Gibson, owner of Reese Gibson Land Developer and a resident of nearby Stanfield, says he selected Locust for two reasons: the reputation of its schools -- "you go where the schools are great" -- and the city's proximity to Charlotte.
Tim Fesperman, Locust city planner, believes many of the community's new residents will commute to jobs in Mecklenburg County.
Gibson's development, which is still in the preliminary stages of construction, will have three types of homes selling for $170,000 to $300,000.
Details were unavailable on the other residential developments.
Meanwhile, Locust is growing in other ways.
Stanly Regional Medical Center plans to build a $10 million medical campus there to serve the growing area of the county closest to Charlotte and the Interstate 485 interchanges east of the Queen City.
The facility will be built on 21 acres adjacent to the Crutchfield Campus of Stanly Community College. The Albemarle hospital bought the property seven years ago.
And near the main crossroads in Locust, a group of regional developers are building a New Urbanism-style city center, complete with a city government office, a library and a mix of shops and residences on 120 acres adjacent to the former downtown area.
The development, dubbed Locust Town Center, will feature 185,000 square feet of retail and office space, along with 248 homes that developers expect to be completed over the next 10 years.
One line of commercial buildings, including Locust City Hall, is complete, developed by Albemarle builder Terry Whitley and others at Main Street Properties.
While the remaining components of Locust Town Center and other projects will be built gradually, some of the city's pending development is expected to take shape quickly.
By June 30, when the city's fiscal year ends, construction will have started on as many as 400 homes, nearly double the previous year's total, Inman says.
Unlike some area communities that are trying to stem the rising tide of development, Locust leaders are welcoming it.
"We knew this day was coming with Interstate 485 coming so close," Inman says. "We have the sewer infrastructure, and we're blessed with water.
"We're not the typical municipality that thinks growth is a bad thing," he adds. "We planned for this."