Randleman seeks hotel to pair with growth

RANDLEMAN – The need for overnight accommodations and more meeting space might be reaching higher levels in Randleman, particularly after May’s announcement that Ross Stores is planning to build a distribution center in the city.

“We have been talking to developers trying to get a hotel here,” said Jeff Freeman, executive director of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce. “We believe that is a need. Randleman does not have hotel and ample meeting space.”

In order for Randleman’s growth to continue, Freeman said facilities that can cater to more visitors must be in place.

“Randleman is a diamond in the rough,” Freeman said. “We’re very well-positioned.”

Employment at the Ross Stores facility could add more than 850 jobs to Randolph County by the end of 2026.

Freeman, who has spent 38 years with Freeman’s Florist & Gifts in Randleman, said a feasibility study on file with the city is likely a necessity in order to lure developers.

He said he has been involved in various discussions with developers in recent years. He said during a presentation in Greensboro it became clear that Randleman would be an ideal location for a hotel, aided by its location along I-73.

One developer, Freeman said, was planning a project in Kernersville but wanted more information about Randleman.

During a meeting earlier this spring at Randolph Community College in Asheboro, statewide and regional leaders gathered to discuss several initiatives, including strategies for a potential hotel and convention center in Asheboro.

Randleman wants to be considered for any such development. Frequently visitors to Randleman must be sent elsewhere, often to Asheboro or Archdale, for lodging, Freeman said.

In May, the Reel-n-Randleman fishing tournament, which was sponsored by the Randleman Chamber of Commerce and drew 38 teams, was held at Randleman Lake. Activities at Petty Museum in nearby Level Cross regularly attract visitors.

When, and if, a hotel developer decides on building in Randleman, it would likely be at least a two-year process before the facility is constructed and opened.

Randleman is within a dozen miles of the Greensboro-Randolph megasite, where hundreds of jobs are being added.

Combined with likely population growth spilling into Randleman, there’s going to be desires for more warehouse and retail options.

“We just don’t have a whole lot of availability,” Freeman said. “We’re pretty much at capacity.”

Freeman said a project involving townhomes off South Main Street and apartment-style housing in the High Point Road area might just be a sampling of the boom that could take place.

“With housing, the problem is they can’t find anything,” Freeman said. “The availability is very slim.”

With that comes a quest for more infrastructure and zoning.

“We need to have a balanced harmony,” he said.

At the chamber’s annual banquet last month, the message was clear.

“We told them Randleman and Randolph County are going to experience significant change,” Freeman said. “Change is coming. It’s only the beginning of great things to come.”