GRANITE QUARRY — The Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen got a look at how the negotiations surrounding the future growth plan have been shaping up during their meeting on Monday.

The plan has been in the works since last year, when the county commissioners asked the municipalities surrounding the Interstate 85 corridor to discuss borders for their potential growth. The plans, which are still preliminary, allow for future developers, especially industrial, to know which municipalities to work with if they want to be annexed in the future.

Granite Quarry’s main negotiations have come with the city of Salisbury and future potential annexation of the areas around Peach Orchard Road. The current plan would provide Granite Quarry areas for future growth west of the town. The area the town hopes to expand into would run west up Heilig Road, then South down Old Concord Road to Peach Orchard Road. The border between Granite Quarry and Faith would be St. Paul’s Church Road.

“I think the most important thing that we as aldermen and as a board need to remember with these discussions is that this is a very pivotal time and period for Granite Quarry. This could be transformational for Granite Quarry’s future,” said Mayor Brittany Barnhardt.

Alderman Doug Shelton did note that North Carolina’s government prohibits involuntary annexation. This means that unless the developers want to be annexed by the town, the future growth plans are just “lines on a map,” Shelton said.

Town Manager Larry Smith did note that the agreements can be amended at any time. The current growth plan, if it gets approved by each municipality, would simply be a guideline for the future for the municipalities and the county.

The board of aldermen did not take any action on the future growth plan Monday, instead choosing to have a strategic meeting later this month for the Aldermen to sit down and discuss the plan that was put forward to them by Smith.