GRANITE QUARRY — The Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen has taken a step toward selling town-owned property at 316 S. Main St. by listing it with a Realtor.

The 3.65 acres will be listed with Victor Poplin of Select Properties of the Carolinas.

The aldermen have eyes on selling the property for residential use. They said Monday night a condition of the sale would be that the new owners start some kind of development of the property within a year.

Town Planner Steve Blount said the tract’s current zoning would allow duplexes, and that almost any future development would require a site plan review and probable rezoning. Part of the property has multifamily zoning, and part has light-industrial.

In other town business, Alderman John Linker gave an update on committee discussions about the renovation of Town Hall.

The town would like to provide extra room for the Police Department and make other efficiency and cosmetic improvements inside, but Linker said committee members also want to make an impact on the exterior, to help with downtown revitalization.

Linker said the last Town Hall renovations were done about 25 years ago. Some negative impacts to consider would be the need to relocate town staff for eight to nine months and that recent construction costs have risen about 20 percent.

Linker also reported on a recent downtown revitalization meeting and noted that roughly $15,000 had been approved for additional Christmas lights and replacing some bulbs.

The committee would like to use much of its remaining money on new U.S. 52 sidewalks, extending them from roughly from M&K Barbecue to Bank Street. Mayor Bill Feather presented one estimate of the work from Cooper Construction at $45,650.

An earlier estimate from the N.C. Department of Transportation put the cost at $35,855.

Ed Shell, a resident, said during the public-comment period that there was no explanation in the agenda packet as to what “approval of funds for sidewalks on U.S. 52” referred and why it was needed.

“Is this sidewalk work somehow related to that which is already in progress near the Town Hall?” Shell asked.

“How are Granite Quarry residents to know and decide if this matter warrants their input in the citizen comments section of the meeting, since there is no explanation of the purpose or even identification of the specific location involved?”

In other Granite Quarry news:

• Town Manager Phil Conrad said a flood plain permit for Phase 1 of the Village at Granite has been issued, allowing preliminary grading to begin. The proposed residential subdivision would have 250 homes on 111 acres.

• Conrad said a site plan will be considered Oct. 8 by the Planning Board for the proposed 32-home Stone Glen subdivision off Peeler Street. There also is a rezoning request related to that project.

• Discussions are in the preliminary stages about a possible commercial development on U.S. 52 near East Rowan High School. Town Planner Steve Blount said a chain restaurant has expressed interest in the area, which takes in about 11 acres in all.

“There’s a lot of complexity to it,” Blount said of everything that would have to be considered for a commercial development, including a voluntary annexation.

• Linker said Granite Industrial Park at Heilig Road and Chamandy Drive should have a sign saying what it is and a list of companies that will be part of the park.

Feather said the county, town and Easter Creek Partners, which has built a 150,000-square-foot speculative building in the park, should form a property association to decide possibly on a place for the sign and how to pay for it.

• The aldermen proclaimed Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week for October.

• Family Fun Fest will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Granite Lake Park. The town’s food drive continues through Dec. 31.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.