In November, The Town of Pembroke held a brief ceremony to celebrate and mark the start of public downtown revitalization improvements. (Union Chapel Road Phase I Improvements) These projects will feature new streetscape design-including new brick sidewalks, improved lighting, utility upgrades and landscaping-creating a safer, more inviting downtown for residents and visitors. The Union Chapel Phase I Improvements project is the first in a series of downtown public improvement projects and will coincide with the opening of the A.S. Thomas Center.

These improvements will be continued throughout the downtown thanks to a $5.2 million U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant awarded to the Town of Pembroke. The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant will be used for much-needed infrastructure improvements, primarily in the downtown district of the Town. Town and North Carolina Department of Transportation funding will join the BUILD grant award for a total estimated project cost of $6.69 million. The bulk of the funding will be used for new multi-modal transportation improvements and increased interconnectivity infrastructure in downtown Pembroke with the goal of creating a safer, more pedestrian-friendly area for residents and visitors.