For Immediate Release:  December 18, 2025 

Contact: David Fath, Communications Director  

dfath@albemarlenc.gov   

704-985-4935 

Media Release 

City of Albemarle & Stanly County Announce Rural Infrastructure Grant

Supporting Downtown Health Clinic Project 

ALBEMARLE, NC – The City of Albemarle and Stanly County are proud to announce award of a $350,000 Rural Building Reuse Grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. This grant supports the redevelopment of a long-vacant 17,000-square-foot building at 410 Pee Dee Avenue. The result will be a transformational investment in modern family medicine, an urgent care clinic, workforce development, and downtown revitalization.  

Atrium Health’s new family medical facility in downtown will create 28 high-paying jobs and leverage $1,235,500 in private investment. The facility will provide primary and urgent care services, mental health care, maternity care, and treatment for substance use disorders. The clinic will also house Atrium’s Rural Health Track, where residents train alongside faculty physicians to support rural communities. The clinic will bring attending physicians, resident physicians, and clinical staff, with average annual wages exceeding $100,000. 

“The City’s work to support this project is part of the City’s Strategic Plan goal of Enhancing Community & Economic Growth Opportunities. The redevelopment of this vacant building into a medical facility ties directly to our priorities of diversifying economic investment, downtown revitalization, and strengthening workforce development. Creating high-quality medical care, physician training, and new jobs strengthens not just our downtown, but the entire region,” said Mayor Ronnie Michael. 

The City of Albemarle is also supporting the clinic through its Albemarle Downtown Area Revitalization (ADAR) Program, which encourages infill growth, historic restoration, and commercial development within the City’s Municipal Service District. An estimated $79,931.85 ADAR grant will be distributed over five years based on increased taxable value following project completion. 

“The establishment of a medical facility in this space demonstrates how strategic public-private partnerships can address blight, expand healthcare access, and create high-wage jobs,” states City of Albemarle Economic Development Director, Lindsey Almond.  “The Rural Infrastructure Grant and the City’s ADAR investment close a critical funding gap and support Atrium Health’s long-term rural health strategy.” 

Local developers and investors, PC & CB Investments, LLC, have been working on this redevelopment project behind the scenes for quite some time.  Their continued commitment to revitalizing the historic Five Points area has been essential in bringing this project forward. 

The City of Albemarle has a strong history of supporting healthcare and education through successful public-private partnerships. One of the most significant examples is the City’s collaboration with Pfeiffer University to establish the Pfeiffer Health Sciences Center in downtown Albemarle.  

In 2016, the City of Albemarle proposed a land exchange to Stanly County, offering its former City Hall Annex building in return for the County’s museum building and property. The City also paid the County approximately $50,000 as part of the agreement. The County moved its museum to the former City Hall Annex. The City then demolished the old museum building. The City subsequently agreed to a partnership with Pfeiffer University, transferring the cleared site to Pfeiffer for construction of the Pfeiffer Health Sciences Center. 

The Pfeiffer project generated more than $10 million in new investment, created at least 17 high-paying jobs, and brought over 200 graduate students, faculty, and staff into the downtown area. An economic impact analysis projected the project would generate more than $27 million in direct and multiplier economic impact over a six-year period. Learn more here.

See redevelopment plans at 410 Pee Dee Avenue below