Norfolk Southern owns the railroad right-of-way on the east side of U.S. 501 South in Roxboro, paralleling the highway. Development on the east side over the years, however, has been limited, in comparison to the west side, in large part because Norfolk Southern officials have been reluctant and/or non-responsive to inquiries from developers seeking access across the right-of-way in order to develop properties beyond.

In fact, several years ago, a county government effort to extend a utility line across the railroad right-of-way had to be resolved in federal court, County Commissioner Jimmy B. Clayton recalled Monday evening after hearing Jean Overton, director of the Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce Business Development Center, urge commissioners’ adoption of a resolution aimed at gaining greater Norfolk Southern cooperation in the interest of opening up development opportunities on the east side of 501.

In her presentation, Overton told commissioners, “One of the major obstacles that the Economic Development Center faces is the availability of sites. On the west side we have really good sites that exist along the west side, but a lot of those really good sites are not for sale. We also have some other good sites on the west side that the owners are willing to sell, but the prices are unreasonable.

“So then that leaves us with the east side of the 501 corridor which is where our railroad is, Norfolk Southern railroad,” Overton continued. “And we have found that to be very difficult to get consistent cooperation from [railroad officials] to develop the east side of the property.”

Overton said that almost a year ago she had a conversation with Gail Eluwa, liaison for U. S. Rep. Brad Miller, about “some of the problems we were having.” That discussion, Overton said, led to a subsequent meeting at Roxboro City Hall concerning what might be done. Eluwa, she said, advised the group about pertinent information to gather for presentation to the Federal Railroad Administration “in the effort to gain more cooperation, to get something accomplished with the east side and the railroad for development.”

Since that meeting, Overton said, she has been collecting the necessary information “that we will be submitting to the [FRA] once we get all the resolutions adopted by the different entities.”

That information and Person County’s concerns, Overton said, would be relayed to FRA officials in “preferably a conference call” that potentially could lead to “more cooperation from them to open up the east side and make it easier for development.”

Overton told commissioners, “There are so many good sites over there that a lot of people want to develop —shopping centers and different retail businesses — and [they] just have been a hindrance to them because once they express an interest they’ve got to wait six months to a year to get any kind of official agreement from them,” by which time “they’ve kind of lost interest and moved on.”

After Overton’s appeal for the county’s support of the resolution, Commission Chairman Johnny Myrl Lunsford commented, “I can say since my time on the board, when we’ve had to deal with the railroad it’s really been a hassle. … I hope this resolution would eliminate some of the hassle we’ve gone through in the past.”

Lunsford then moved to adopt the resolution.

In discussion, Commissioner Larry Yarborough said, “The issue with railroad tracks has been brought up numerous times in economic development discussions as a hindrance to development on the east side of 501. I’d like to thank Ms. Overton for taking the bull by the horns here and championing an effort to do something to get the railroad to work with us a little bit better.”

Commissioner Clayton added, “Anything we can do to improve that relationship would be wonderful.

Overton said Monday that the City of Roxboro and the chamber already had adopted the resolution and that the Roxboro Uptown Development Corp.’s support also would be requested.

The resolution points to the U.S. 501 corridor as “one key ingredient to long-term growth” in Roxboro and Person County.

Although referring to Norfolk Southern as a “community-conscious corporation” whose officials “have been stellar partners when working with new industry that plan to make use of the services” the railroad offers, the resolution also states, “…however, we have found the real estate division to be significantly less concerned about the negative impact they make on future economic development opportunities in the City of Roxboro and the County of Person….”

Roxboro/Person County leaders, it says, “would very much like to engage in open and fair dialogue with the railroad. Unfortunately, the response thus far from Norfolk Southern representatives (if any response is provided) is rarely one that encourages dialogue.”

The resolution concludes by calling for “assistance or intervention from the Federal Railroad Administration so that we might be able to encourage a more cooperative spirit from representatives of the Norfolk Southern real estate division.”