Hamburger joint considers Morganton

City sees renewed interest in new businesses

By: Sharon McBrayer | Morganton News Herald
Published: October 20, 2009

Morganton --

The city may be getting a Cook Out restaurant.
Lee Anderson, director of development and design for Morganton, said the restaurant is looking at building at the corner of Conley Street and Burkemont Avenue, across from Western Piedmont Community College.
Anderson said the company has submitted preliminary site drawings but hasn't submitted architectural designs or an official application for permits.
Chris Clayton, who is a design engineer for a company that does work for Cook Out, said the company hasn't closed on the property but all signs point to moving ahead with the project. He said it's still in the planning process.
Clayton said when the company does close on a piece of property, they tend to move quickly on a project.
Cook Out is based in Greensboro and has locations throughout North Carolina. Hickory is one of those locations.
The News Herald attempted to contact the owners but e-mail and phone calls were unsuccessful. The company doesn't appear to have an official Web site.
Cook Out and Wilco-Hess are some examples of commercial developers who are starting to look at the city again.
Lee Anderson, director of development and design for Morganton, said he believes the area has bottomed out as far as the development market goes.
He said the area is starting to see some movement in the commercial sector. Commercial developers are starting to look at various project sites in the downtown and the perimeter of the city, Anderson said.
The interest lately is more than has been seen in the city in the last eight months or so, he said.
While interest has increased, Anderson said he's heard that it's still hard to get financing for speculative sites.