The city will shoulder a portion of a $36,000 preliminary engineering report for the future development along the recently constructed Premier Boulevard extension and the enhanced Highway 125 corridor.

The council Tuesday agreed to pay $12,000 following approval of a budget amendment. Halifax County and the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District will equally fund the rest, according to a memo by City Manager Kelly Traynham.

“The future of the Premier Boulevard/NC 125 (department of transportation) project area is dependent upon the provision of utilities — water, sewer, electricity and others — and adherence to land development regulations.”

Traynham said the project is located within the jurisdiction of multiple agencies that include the city, county, RRSD, Dominion, Roanoke Cooperative, the Rheasville Volunteer Fire Department and NCDOT.

An email earlier this month from Halifax County Economic Development Director Cathy Scott says that the stakeholders have been meeting to discuss the water and sewer improvements to support future development in that area. “There is consensus among the group to move ahead with a PER to document the technical aspects of the project and the estimated costs to support future grant funding requests.”

In justifying the cost of the preliminary engineering report, Scott said, “Halifax County, the city of Roanoke Rapids and the RRSD will each benefit from future development along this corridor through anticipated property and other revenues (or both).”

The completion timeline for the report is approximately 60 days.