The Sanford-Lee County Planning Board’s Technical Review Committee will look at plans for Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden restaurants at the new Adams Village shopping center on N.C. Highway 87.

Triangle Business Journal wrote in April that Olive Garden was one of a handful of national chains eyeing Adams Village, a residential-commercial mixed use project near Walmart which was first announced in 2022. Others mentioned in the TBJ’s April piece included Whataburger, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Ulta Beauty.

The appearance of both Olive Garden and Longhorn on the TRC’s September agenda is another sign of progress at the location. The TRC is made up of local officials from various city and county government entities and meets monthly to review commercial, housing and industrial proposals for compliance with the codes and policies of various local departments. TRC approval of a project – or even submission of a proposal for consideration – is not a concrete indicator that the project will happen; the TRC only looks at whether proposals meet city, county and state requirements.

According to plans available on the Planning Department website, the Longhorn location would be a 5,600 square foot outparcel and the Olive Garden would be a 6,350 square foot outparcel. The TRC will also look at plans for an Aspen Dental location in a third outparcel measuring 3,500 square feet. Overall, Adams Village will feature 250 single family lots and 231 townhome lots in addition to 30-plus acres of commercial space accessible from N.C. 87.

Other items on the TRC’s September agenda include two new 110,500 square foot buildings designated for light industrial use adjacent to the Central Carolina Enterprise Industrial Park (likely intended for multiple smaller scale manufacturing operations), a new iteration of the Oakton housing subdivision (previously known as Gum Fork) on Colon Road near U.S. 1, and a Mako Express Car Wash car wash in the Food Lion Shopping Center in Tramway.