City Manager’s Office

The City Manager serves as the CEO for the City, overseeing all City functions and offices. In addition to overseeing each City Department, the City Manager’s Office focuses on economic development, community development, public relations, marketing and community outreach.

Preparing for the NC Research Campus

The City of Kannapolis has taken many proactive steps to help shepherd the immense economic transformation occurring within the City. From an influx of high-quality commercial and residential growth driven by Charlotte to the major impacts of the NC Research Campus, the Kannapolis City Council, along with many partners, is working to prepare the City for the next century.

Recent strategic planning efforts include:

 

NC Research Campus Economic Impact and SWOT Analysis

The North Carolina Research Campus will be a hub for biotechnology research and innovation, with an emphasis in nutrition and health. Located on the site of the former Pillowtex plant, this 300-acre development is a unique project that includes the collaboration of major research universities and enormous investments in state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment.

The project is an incredible opportunity for the Kannapolis area and the Charlotte region, and the research conducted at the North Carolina Research Campus is expected to have significant economic and scientific impacts.

In 2006, the City of Kannapolis retained Market Street Services, an economic and community development consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, to conduct an economic impact analysis and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the North Carolina Research Campus.

A few key points related to the SWOT Analysis and Impact Assessment:

  • In order for the impact assessment to come to fruition, the SWOT recommendations must be fully implemented by the community and, in some cases, the region.
  • The report confirms that the NCRC has the potential to be a major economic engine for our region and provides a map for the City to follow to ensure that this happens.
  • This report is a reflection of our transition form textiles to biotech. While we have made great progress in many areas, it shows that we still have work to do to fully capitalize on the opportunity the NCRC brings to the region.
  • Conducting the study was a critical step in validating what’s possible with the Research Campus, providing frank insight on how we compare with our competitor cities and helping us determine what investments we need to make in the future.
  • The report finds that we are quite strong in transportation, regional support for entrepreneurship and state support for biotechnology. We have more work to do in terms of improving K-12 performance and higher education opportunities as well as embracing diversity.

To download the economic impact analysis, please click here.

Click here to download the SWOT analysis.

 

Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development Action Plan

A major finding of the initial SWOT analysis in 2006 pointed to a need for cohesive and coordinated support and encouragement for entrepreneurs and small businesses in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. To help solve the problem, the City partnered with the Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation to develop an action plan to serve this very important group.

Main steps in the plan include:

  • The formation of an entrepreneurial council that draws participation from both the public and private sector.
  • Reorganization of the Cabarrus-Rowan entrepreneurial system around the council’s six service areas: assistance, education, capital formation, networking, youth and culture.

To download the full plan, please click here.

In response to the action plan, a partnership—the Cabarrus and Rowan Entrepreneurial Council—formed to launch the Innovator Magnet, a one-stop web resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The site includes both local and national resources, as well as a calendar of events.

 

Education and Workforce Development Action Plan

The Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce commissioned Atlanta-based consulting firm Market Street Services to develop an Education and Workforce Development Action Plan for Cabarrus and Rowan Counties in response to findings from the original SWOT analysis done in 2006.

Their findings identified the need to boost the value of education, improve awareness of career opportunities and create job training and education programs that will prepare citizens for 21st-century careers.

Based upon these conclusions, Market Street Services worked in collaboration with a steering committee of public and private sector partners to formulate a plan of action for Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. This plan outlines specific recommendations to address these issues with the ultimate goals of building a stronger community, achieving sustainable economic growth and cultivating a local workforce that can successfully compete in a global economy.

Released in September 2008, the plan identifies three key “action areas” where change is imperative: the pre-K-12 education system, higher education and lifelong learning and job training programs.

Action Area 1: Transform Pre-K-12 Education

  • Implement programs that increase parent and community commitment to public education
  • Upgrade school facilities to meet highest standards for energy/water efficiency and indoor air quality
  • Improve administrator and educator professional development, recruitment and retention
  • Establish accredited early childhood and pre-K programs that meet top state and national standards
  • Develop and establish career academies and magnet schools
  • Establish 21st-century classrooms in every school by increasing access to technology and integrating into curriculum
  • Expand after-school and summer school programs, tailoring curricula to correlate with classroom teaching

Action Area 2: Expand Opportunities in Higher Education

  • Increase opportunities for residents to advance education locally
  • Expand and enhance certificate, diploma, two-year and four-year program capacity and offerings
  • Establish local graduate and doctoral programs

Action Area 3: Grow Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning Programs

  • Increase access to adult education and job training programs
  • Implement programs to raise public awareness of the benefits of education and the value of academic achievement

For more information about the Education and Workforce Development Action Plan, visit www.cr21stcentury.info or click here to download.

 

Self-Financing (TIF) Bond Package for Infrastructure Improvements

Self-financing bonds are a type of very low risk public financing that can be issued by a municipality or county to fund public improvements that encourage private development in a particular area of a city. The bonds are repaid from the new, or incremental, property tax revenues generated by the new private development in that area.

Here’s how it will work in Kannapolis:

  • The $1.5 billion development of the North Carolina Research Campus by Castle & Cooke will generate large incremental property tax revenues, a portion of which will be used to repay any self-financing bonds issued by the City.
  • Properties outside of the North Carolina Research Campus are included in the district as a way of satisfying the objectives of potential investors to have the most secure bond possible as allowed under North Carolina law. This will help to improve the interest rate the City will receive from having the largest district possible. The district is also larger than the Campus site to capture revenues from other new development projects that may locate near the Campus.
  • Because the City needs the largest district possible, it chose areas along major corridors that lead to the Campus. In addition, many of the areas chosen are where intersection improvements and greenways will be built. These are also in areas where the possibility of new development investments are the greatest.
  • The bonds issued will pay for public improvements that include many projects off the Campus site that will benefit all residents of Kannapolis. These projects include parks, greenways and road improvements. Even those public improvement projects directly on the Campus will be built for the benefit of the entire community, not just those that work or live there.
  • Many of the projects the bonds target, especially road improvements, parks and greenways, would have taken decades to accomplish without the use of this creative financing tool.

Click here to download a list of TIF projects and maps.

 

Special Projects

The Kannapolis City Council and staff continues to work on new initiatives that enhance the overall quality of life and economic vitality in Kannapolis. From historic preservation to building business parks in partnership with the private sector to securing long-term water rights, Council and staff work to be as proactive as possible in achieving the long-range goals of the City.

Carver Area Plan

The City of Kannapolis has launched a community development effort that will work to improve less stable neighborhoods within the City. The first area on which the City will focus includes the neighborhoods near the old Carver School – Nightown, Happy Hollow, Rutledgetown and Newtown.

For a map of the Carver area, click here.

Working with consultants from NCSU and NC A&T, the City is developing a strategic plan to address this area’s unique needs. City representatives are collaborating with residents, property owners, schools, churches and others to learn their vision for the neighborhoods’ future and engaging property owners and nonprofit organizations to improve the area’s appearance and infrastructure.

The planning process will be complete by late 2009, and a strategic plan will be developed that builds on the existing assets in the neighborhood and addresses current needs.

Already, changes are underway. Prosperity Unlimited has worked with the City to build several new homes in the area, and City Council recently allocated federal funds to extend Wood Avenue from Foster Street to James Street. This road extension will provide better access to the neighborhood and will also enable the development of the Hollow Ridge subdivision at the intersection of Wood Avenue and Walter Street.

Prosperity Unlimited has plans to build 17 single-family homes in this area.

Green Challenge

The City of Kannapolis believes that, as a community, we each have a responsibility to protect and value our natural resources, preserve the quality of our environment for future generations and promote sustainable growth. With the creation of the Environmental Stewardship Commission, the City intends to look internally to see what we can do to be more environmentally conscious. To that end, the City strives to lead by example and will begin implementing practices that are environmentally friendly, energy efficient and cost effective.

Our approach to this new initiative is as follows:

Start Slowly.
We will first tackle the “low-hanging fruit” and then work towards adopting additional practices and policies.

Long-Term Change.
This initiative reflects the long-term commitment of the City to implement environmentally conscious practices on an ongoing basis.

The creation of a Green Committee will help implement this new initiative. The committee will have a representative from each City department.

This initiative is inspired in part by the NCLM Green Challenge.

For more information about the Kannapolis Green Challenge, please contact Renee Goodnight at 704-920-4311 or rgoodnight@cityofkannapolis.com.