‘A great place’: Concord unveils new downtown after years of construction

CONCORD, N.C. — Years of construction in Concord have wrapped up, and its downtown district is now open for business, according to city leaders.

The area has been undergoing construction in relation to a streetscape project for years. Channel 9 has been covering this development since the start.

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Paige Grochoske, the downtown development manager, told Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz the project matches the growth the area is seeing.

“I’m really proud of the businesses that came together throughout the process and throughout the streetscape project, because they knew that this was the end result,” Grochoske said.

Some new features to the area include widened sidewalks for outdoor dining, lights and speakers for nighttime events, and fresh art and landscaping.

City leaders say all of these improvements are bringing in more foot traffic and breathing life back into downtown.

“That’s what it’s all about living here, and we want to be out here, enjoying our space and the weather,” Grochoske said.

Residents and visitors can now enjoy shopping and dining at established local businesses, like Cabarrus Creamery and Press and Porter Coffee.

They can also take advantage of the city’s latest attraction, the trolley pub which runs along Church and Union Streets.

Members of the community seem to be enjoying the change.

“Honestly, just seeing people grow and, kind of, have the community come together has been an amazing experience,” resident Christian McLaurin said.

Corey Alley, another community member, said he sees Concord’s local businesses as assets to his community and hopes they are able to grow and thrive there.

“This is a beautiful community to live, to work and to play,” he said. “Concord is a great place.”

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