One of the largest mixed-use developments in Johnston County is quadrupling in size.
The development team behind the Copper District in Clayton said that plans for their project have ballooned in the past few months. The project, which started out at about 70 acres, will now encompass about 270 acres – and that number has the potential to grow.
“You’ve got the small town charm and you have the walkable, 21st Century amenities,” said Dean Penny, senior project executive at Craig Davis Properties out of Cary. “We believe Copper District can sit right in the bull’s-eye of that and bring both of those ideas and themes together.”
Development will be based on how market conditions evolve over the coming years, but Penny envisions Copper District totaling about 4 million square feet or more of space between housing, commercial, retail, office, etc.
The dramatic increase in scope of Copper District vaults the project into not only one of the largest mixed-use projects in Johnston County, but the entire Triangle.
So, how did this happen? After the Clayton Town Council approved the rezoning for Copper District, Penny and his team started meeting with adjacent property owners.
“In the course of those conversations, I would always ask – ‘What do you think about it? Is this something that you like and want to stay, or would you prefer to sell?'” Penny said. “Quote honestly, there were a couple of really key landowners behind the farm that ultimately said, ‘You know, we think we would prefer to sell.’ And that started the dominos rolling.”
Penny was familiar with these property owners, considering the land has been in his family for decades – he was coming into the conversations not only as a developer, but also a long-time neighbor. Penny previously told Triangle Business Journal that growing up he would spend summers on the land farming tobacco and plucking scuppernongs off the vine.
Work is already beginning on some of the newly acquired land. Plans for one section call for up to 360 multifamily units. Another section calls for up to 375 single-family homes. Those sections are currently making their way through the Clayton rezoning process, and the development team hopes to have those proposals in front of the Clayton Town Council later this year.
Another section will be an extension of the original 70-acre Copper District and will include ground-floor commercial with office and more residential units on top. Penny referenced having a Main Street-type vibe to this section, but also said “we believe downtown Clayton has some uniqueness to it. There are some really cool unique shops, unique restaurants and we’re not trying to compete with that. We want to be a complement to downtown Clayton.”
Craig Davis Properties is still working on finalizing site plans for the new, bigger Copper District so the development team declined to say how many total residential units will be part of the development. Before, the 70-acre version of Copper District called for up to 480 apartments/condos and 140 townhomes/single-family homes.
The company estimated the amount of commercial/retail space in Copper District will rise from about 90,000 square feet in the original plans to about 250,000 square feet. There will still be up to 700,000 square feet of office space and a 120-room hotel or lodging experience of some kind.
Another new wrinkle for the Copper District – Penny said the current vision of the project calls for a school. He said it’s unclear if this would be a public or private school, but the goal is to house a K-5 school within Copper District.
Penny was asked why a school is in the plans for Copper District when the development team could get more bang for its buck developing that land into more retail or residential space.
“Most realtors and real estate people would tell you with a high-quality school, you can raise the overall profile not only of the housing market but retail within the development,” Penny said. “Yes, it takes up land and yes, there might be more direct financial benefit on the land itself. But, the right school can have a positive influence for the entire community.”
Evan Hoopfer covers real estate and economic development in the Greater Triangle, focusing on the counties outside Wake and Durham. Have a tip? Reach him at eh******@bi*********.com or (919) 327-1012.
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