Paris Goodnight
Salisbury Post
Craft Development LLC of Monroe paid nearly $3 million for soon-to-be-developed Drummond Village, which includes slightly more than 80 acres near Stokes Ferry and Earnhardt roads.
Eric Wood, manager of Pilot Developers LLC, sold the property, according to a deed dated May 31. Wood had started putting together land for a mixed-use development, but when plans to extend Jake Alexander Boulevard from Stokes Ferry Road to Earnhardt Road were scuttled, those plans changed.
That wasn’t the main reason he sold the property, though. “We had partnerships with Craft Development, and they’re a capable developer,” Wood said Thursday. “They’re able to see it through. They’re really good guys.”
He said he’s had other dealings with Craft Development in properties around the Country Club of Salisbury, in Spencer and in Statesville.
“They are a powerhouse,” Wood said, and “Craft is a big believer in Rowan County.”
The original Drummond Village plan called for apartments, townhomes, single-family houses, streets designed to slow vehicles and open park spaces. Now, Drummond Village is likely to be a single-family subdivision.
Wood said the development could eventually have 424 homes. So far, six models and a model office have been erected.
Pilot Developers still maintains a Salisbury office, but Wood now works from a Mooresville office.
Landis officials recently approved construction plans for a separate Craft Development subdivision called Twin Oaks, which is off North Chapel Street and U.S. 29 South. David Settlemyer represented Craft Development before the town board on that project.
Dan Johnson is president of Craft Development, which was founded in 1999 by David Cuthbertson, according to the company’s Web site.
Johnson said Friday that his company is doing projects in all the counties surrounding Charlotte, including a 1,900-acre development on a lake in South Carolina. He said bigger developments with amenities are the rage right now, but businesses and retail outfits don’t come along until the rooftops go up.
Johnson noted that his home county, Union, is the fastest growing in the state because of its 25-mile or so commute into Charlotte. “The whole region really (is growing.) Charlotte is the machine, and everyone surrounding Charlotte is doing well,” he said.
As developers, Craft will sell lots to builders, who will put up the houses, Johnson said.
nnnContact Paris Goodnight at 704-797-4255 or pgoodnight@ salisburypost.com.