Expect quite a few changes in Town in the next few years, says Bancroft Mayor Paul Jenkins.
After Council approved several rezoning applications in al Meeting on Tuesday, Jenkins says to expect new houses to pop up across Town. While many of the applications were directed towards putting up individual residences, things like the Fountain Hill project and the Preserve at Bancroft Ridge were given approval. For the Bancroft Ridge itself, a model prefab home is expected to be installed in the next six weeks, where up to 105 of these units will be sold. While road, water and sewage access still need to go in, the project is ready to go in the next month. Jenkins is not sure when the Fountain Hill project will begin construction, but he says the developers were keen to have the rezoning approved.
Between the variety of other projects on the way, like the library, the new apartments at the public school, and the redevelopment of the downtown, Jenkins says it’s an exciting time for Bancroft. He believes that this will attract more people to the town, and residents should expect a small population boost. Growth projections from 5 years ago are no longer accurate, with Jenkins saying that more people than expected are moving to rural areas thanks to many factors, such as improvements in broadband access. The Town needs to take advantage of the changes, as they have been steadily trying to increase their tax base to lower the tax burden on people already here. Jenkins says Council is committed to making Bancroft attractive so that more people will want to live here.