After more than 45 years on Douglas Drive in west Sanford, Wilkinson Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC is moving to a new facility along Highway 87 on the south side of town next spring, according to a press release.
“The over 55,000 square foot facility includes a new maintenance shop, expanded showroom and customer spaces,” reads the press release from Carolina Commercial Contractors, which won the contract to construct the new facility. “It will be the largest automobile complex in Lee County. The project has broken ground and its completion is scheduled for spring 2020.”
Wilkinson has operated on Douglas Drive since 1974, and before that had been located on Wicker Street in downtown Sanford since 1953.
“This location and all of Lee County has been good to us,” said owner Wil Wilkinson. “We are just running out of room and need more space. We have run out of room for inventory, for parts and equipment, and for employee workspaces.”
The new facility will nearly triple the size of the dealership and allow the showroom and maintenance shop to “service more customers more efficiently.” Modern features will include drive-over plates to check tire alignment and tread depth, a climate-controlled service department, and waterborne paint booths for the body shop.
“It will be a big change to move to the new location,” Wilkinson said. “But with our pick up and delivery service, we will still be able to serve all of our customers in the area just as we always have. We will have expanded customer leisure areas with digital connectivity and the increased efficiency in the shop will expedite service times.”
Carolina Commercial Contractors is a family-owned and managed commercial construction business that has operated in Sanford for more than 20 years. The company specializes in senior living and multi-family communities and has completed projects across the southeast. Local projects include the Oaks Apartments, the Capital Bank building on South Horner Boulevard and the South Park Village apartment complex.
“We love our hometown and are very pleased to be working on this project for Wilkinson,” said Carter Keller, the company’s manager.
And what happens to this building? Home prices will drop between them going, and the way River Birch looks and the road condition and the water issues. Those people back in West Lake need to wake up