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WALLACE — An economic development strategic plan was presented to the Wallace Town Council last Thursday, outlining the town’s chief objectives over the next five years and strategies to achieve them. The plan focuses on the revitalization of downtown Wallace, improving community engagement and connection, and creating a strong network of local businesses in addition to other objectives aimed at ensuring the small town retains its characteristic charm as it continues to grow.
It’s been nine months since the town council formally approved a resolution requesting the assistance of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center in the preparation of an economic development strategic plan meant to foster prosperity in the town of Wallace, and a little over 10 since Samantha Darlington, a community economic development planner with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, presented the department’s Main Street Initiative and Rural Planning Program to the council in July of 2024.
“You all decided that you did want to create an economic development strategic plan, and we have been working on that ever since,” said Darlington, advising the board that over 40 stockholder interviews and more than 300 community survey responses representing nearly 10% of the town’s total population helped inform the plan’s creation.
“I’ve done a lot of interviews with communities, and I’ve been in a lot of communities. At least one time during interviews, I interview someone who has a negative perception of a town or doesn’t really think anything’s going to change, or that it’s not willing to change. I didn’t have that experience here,” she explained.
“The number one thing that we learned when we did these interviews and these surveys was that the greatest asset you all have in Wallace is your people.”
Darlington then thanked the members of the Strategic Planning Workgroup and asked those present to stand in recognition of their contributions to the project. “They were really vital to creating this plan.”
Composed of Wallace community members, current and former town officials, and Duplin County’s planning and economic development directors, the workgroup was responsible for mapping assets, identifying economic drivers, and performing an analysis of the project’s strengths, weaknesses, objectives and threats in addition to developing a statement to illustrate their vision for the town.
Charley Farrior, workgroup member and former mayor of Wallace, asked the council to close their eyes and think about the town as he read the statement.
“Known for its iconic Carolina Strawberry Festival, Wallace is a thriving town at the crossroads of eastern North Carolina, where a tradition of agriculture, athletics, transportation and community come together. With robust arts and culture, a historic downtown full of local businesses, a variety of shopping and dining, and an abundance of outdoor recreation, Wallace is a safe and vibrant place to call home. Proud of its past and committed to its future, Wallace fosters connection, community spirit and purposeful growth.
“We think that is a great representation of Wallace today, but it’s also a lofty goal to build on these assets and even add additional assets in the future,” added Farrior.
The abstract strategies and broad goals set within the plan were developed from the workgroup’s vision statement and provide an overview of what the town plans to achieve by 2030. Each goal contains specific objectives detailing actions or projects that contribute to its completion.
“Goal one, as you can see here, is: ‘Downtown is full of a variety of thriving local businesses.’ It’s not today — that is the goal,” began Curt Simpson, member of the Strategic Planning Workgroup. “We have an objective that I’m here to talk about, and that objective is that 80% of the buildings downtown are occupied and utilized by 2030.”
Simpson explained that this can be achieved by creating an inventory for downtown properties and cultivating strong relationships with downtown property owners.
“That obviously is key — if this is coming just from town hall that ‘you must do this, you must do that’, it’s not going to work.” said Simpson. “You’ve got to have incentives for these property owners to do something else.”
The town also intends to attract and recruit three new types of business downtown within the next five years — including one new restaurant by the end of 2025 and one family-centered entertainment venue by the end of 2026 — by listing available properties on the town’s website and promoting them on social media.
Workgroup member Matthew Walker spoke to the plan’s objective of strengthening downtown’s sense of place and culture with three public space improvements within the next five years, including the installation of a new public art piece downtown, meeting with the Department of Transportation to discuss infrastructure and the rerouting of large trucks, and creating funding to bury power lines downtown as Elizabeth City has done. “If that small town can do it, Wallace can do it,” stated Walker.
Other items the plan hopes to achieve by 2030 include creating resources for small businesses, addressing underutilized and blighted buildings downtown, improving the town’s walkability score, promoting Wallace as a parks and recreation destination, and more.
Darlington encouraged the council to view the plan as a living document with goals that can be changed to accommodate shifting priorities within the town and advised them that its value lies within their ability to set realistic goals and implement innovative strategies.
Mayor Jason Wells thanked Darlington and the workgroup for spearheading the project following the presentation. “You’ve got a very talented group assisting you… We need partnerships like this to make great things happen, and I think we got the right folks in the room to do it.”
