CHOCOWINITY — Growth seems to be the theme for Chocowinity in 2014.

Tuesday night’s town hall meeting brought the announcement that the N.C. Highway 33 bridge, closed nearly a year for rebuilding, has been reopened. Both lanes are now open to traffic, though touch-up work and other items on the state’s punch list will require single-lane closures over the next two months, according to Chocowinity Public Works Director Kevin Brickhouse.

In addition to construction slated to start next month on 48 townhome-style apartments off of U.S. Highway 17 Business, a new Family Dollar across the road will be opening shortly, according to Chocowinity Mayor Jimmy Mobley.

“We just keep moving forward,” Mobley said.

This year’s forward momentum may just be carried by a proposed solar farm in Chocowinity. Cornelius-based O2 Energies approached town officials last week regarding the purchase of 77 acres located between U.S. 17 bypass, U.S. 17 business and Bragaw Lane. In a brief presentation to the town board, Logan Stephens, a representative from the solar development company, spoke about the possibility of a solar farm on the northern end of the property, reserving the southern part for residential lots, the two divided by a 10-foot buffer.

Mobley said the first step of the process would be for the company to get approval from the town’s planning board to rezone the land from agricultural to commercial. If rezoning is accomplished, a public hearing regarding the property and its use will be added to the town board’s next meeting.

Commissioner Louise Furman asked Stephens what time frame the company was looking at for construction.

“These things sometimes take awhile to piece together, but our goal would be the end of the year,” Stephens answered. “Our goal is to get on the property as soon as possible.”

According to the company’s website, O2 Energies is an independent power producer that develops, owns and operates solar farms across the southeast, and makes a point of enlisting local workers for its projects: “Each O2 Energies solar project creates work for more than 50 local residents during the construction phase. We strive to source 100 percent of our construction labor from the communities where our solar farms are built. Each worker receives valuable training and hands-on experience leading to a unique skill set in a growing industry.”

While solar farms have been the recent subject of county ordinances — determining setbacks and buffers that would shield nearby property owners from acres of glass and steel — Mobley said if the property is purchased and the solar farm is built, it will only be visible from the U.S. 17 bypass.

The Chocowinity Planning Board meets on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The Chocowinity Town Board’s next meeting will be held on March 4.