Now Town officials are asking people who live or do business in Holly Springs what stores, restaurants and other businesses are needed in those developments.
An online retail preferences survey is under way to assess what commercial businesses people want. The results will be shared with developers and business owners looking to locate here.
"We often get questions from developers, 'What does the community want?'" said Jenny Mizelle, the Town's Economic Development director. "We felt this was a good way to gauge that."
The 17-question survey will remain open for about a month.
Responses will help Town officials assess how much economic activity is leaving Holly Springs that could be kept here with the right business mix, said Daniel Weeks, the Town's project analyst and organizer of the survey.
"We’ve got a lot of commercial development coming out of the ground now," he said. "This is a good time to assess what our residents desire."
Thanks in part to commercial growth such as the Novartis flu vaccine facility under construction and shopping centers under development, Holly Springs is in comparatively good financial position.
"I think retailers have confidence in our market," Mizelle said, citing Wal-Mart's decision to build here as paving the way for the Main Street Square and South Park developments nearby and New Hill Place to the north on N.C. 55.
In a survey two years ago, residents said they would spend more of their money in Holly Springs given additional opportunities to shop and dine in town. Restaurants were a priority.
Town officials intend for survey results to produce tangible benefits - new stores and restaurants, for examples - rather than collect dust on a shelf.
In fall 2006, a survey that drew more than 600 responses showed strong support for a farmers market. The following spring, the Town opened the Holly Springs Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in the Town Hall parking lot. The market is now in its third season, with more vendors than ever.
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