ATHENS, Ala. — Limestone County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Alabama. Officials say the area's vast growth and development are only expected to continue throughout the New Year and beyond. So, if you are wondering what is coming in 2023, our reporter Jasamine Byrd takes us there.
One thing you can expect to see in 2023 is more people which means more housing development. Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said, "We have close to 5000 housing units that [are] on the table, and if you only put to two and a half people in each of those units, you'll see that we have a potential to grow anywhere between ten and 12,000 in population over the next few years."
Another thing you can expect to see in Limestone County for 2023 is more parks and recreation. "Well, the old Pilgrim's Pride building that we've been working on for about ten years now. that property of about 32 acres we met this morning again to do the site work and what's next for the underground utilities and hopefully, you'll see the children's playground area nailed it constructed in 2023," Marks explained.
As the area's growth continues, one expected challenge is the transportation and moving traffic. "We've identified about ten or fifteen intersections that we want to start working on for the next year," he said.
Limestone County Economic Development Association President and CEO Bethany Shockney said Limestone County Has limited people who are unemployed and "What I say about that is that means that our people want to work."
But that's not the only thing to note. Marks said, "Well, we've just announced Gregory Metals. So, Gregory industry is a fifth generation of fabricated metal replacement builds the guardrails out on interstate ten and that is a big project and we've just sold it and closed that property and had a groundbreaking it's 100 jobs."
Overall, Marks said, "2023 is just going to be fantastic."
