Investment Overview

The site is located along Richlands Highway (NC Highway 24) in Jacksonville, North Carolina, within Onslow County. Jacksonville is the county seat and commercial hub of the region, anchored by its proximity to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, two of the largest Marine Corps installations on the East Coast. The military presence is the area’s dominant economic driver, supporting a large, steady population of active-duty personnel, military families, and retirees who cycle through the base and surrounding community. As of the 2020 Census, Jacksonville’s population was approximately 72,723, making it the 14th-most populous city in North Carolina, while the broader Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area (coterminous with Onslow County) is home to roughly 208,000 residents. Jacksonville is frequently cited as the youngest city in the United States, with an average age near 23, a distinction attributed directly to the concentration of young enlisted service members. Richlands Highway functions as a major commercial corridor connecting Jacksonville’s core to outlying communities such as Richlands and Camp Lejeune’s western gates, and it carries a dense mix of retail, quick-service restaurants, and service-oriented businesses that cater to the base’s daily consumer traffic. Nearby demand generators include Coastal Carolina Community College and Onslow Memorial Hospital, alongside established residential neighborhoods and military housing communities that provide consistent rooftop density along the corridor. Onslow County promotes itself as one of the more affordable coastal counties in North Carolina, which continues to support steady population inflow tied to military rotations. This combination of a captive, recurring military consumer base and an affordable cost of living underpins consistent retail demand along the Richlands Highway corridor.