Three big building permits in June. You should be able to guess the first one – Eli Lilly. The drug manufacturer’s new operation in Concord got its first big permit – more than $137.5 million. Maybe there has been a bigger value on a building permit in Cabarrus County but I don’t remember one.

Gilbane Building Company is the contractor for the project and Charlotte-based WGM Design is the architect. I will be interested to see more on the design for the building. On the WGM website are some beautiful buildings designed by the company. I saw one local building, the 7th and 8th grade building for Cannon School.

I don’t know much about the second large permit. It’s value is more than $5 million for a new building at 40 Ramdin Ct. The contractor is G.W. Liles Construction.

There are no signs on the property, which is being cleared on the corner of Ramdin and Cabarrus Avenue West. Cabarrus County has an operations center across Ramdin. A number of warehouse operations are down at the end of Ramdin.

The third big permit is more than $1.6 million for an up-fit at 4245 Main St., Harrisburg. It’s for Venture Church in Town Center.

Building permits for the first six months of 2022. According to reports from the Cabarrus County Construction Standards Office, the county issued 1,271 permits from Jan. 1 to June 30, with a total value of more than $374.3 million.

Single family detached homes (houses) accounted for 516 permits worth $96.2 million. That is by far the lowest SFD numbers for the first six months for several years. For the same period in 2021, there were 842 permits worth $222.5 million and even the COVID-19 hampered 2020 numbers were higher, 989 permits for $155.8 million. Notice the jump in projected value from 2020 to 2021. Home prices are crazy or have been crazy in this market. I think it will continue for a while.

Pre-COVID first half numbers for SFDs were also higher than 2022: 906 for $155.1 million in 2019 and 985 for $175.9 million in 2018.

My guess is the limits being placed on building by limited sewer treatment capacity is a factor and likely to be more of a factor in the next couple of years. Other factors are supply chain issues and worker shortages.

A new Chinese restaurant at Carolina Mall. Jade Express, an Chinese-Asian restaurant, will move into the space between SoGo Express and Honey Baked Hams in the food court. A Chinese restaurant left the spot several months ago.

Jade Express has spring and egg rolls, a variety of Chinese dishes and made-to-order hibachi dishes.

The Jade Express started in the mall in Asheboro in 2014 and since have grown to locations in Gastonia, Goldsboro, New Bern, Shelby and most recently in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The food on their website looks good.

A few quick hitters. Here are a few items I have to share. Several people have helped contribute to these:

• Rooms to Go at Concord Mills opened Saturday. It is beside Bass Pro Shoppes on Quay Road.

• Human Bean, the new drive-thru coffee shop, is set to open July 20. It is off Concord Parkway near Pitts School Road.

• We’ve been told McDonald’s may be coming to the former Gate station at the corner beside Human Bean. I have not been able to confirm anything here and let’s list this as rumor for now.

• Harrisburg is getting a second Chick-fil-A. The new location will be in the Farmington development off Rocky River Road and I-485.

• Tutti’s Italian Market and Deli is coming to an older building on Cabarrus Avenue East. Let’s credit this one to BestofConcord Instagram.

A fried pie update. Several months ago I told you about getting a Townhouse Bakery fried pie while stopping in Black Mountain. These was a special treat when I was kid growing up near Asheville. Since my delicious pie from the gas station that day I have not been able to find any. I even have stopped at the same station.

Well I found some on the Fourth of July! It came from a little help from my friends.

A couple of weeks ago somebody called and thought I was the Townhouse Bakery. I thought it was a joke but they said they were right beside the VA Hospital and couldn’t find me. Well a quick search of our friend Google revealed Townhouse Bakery’s location was up behind the hospital out toward Warren Wilson College.

I posted about it on my Facebook page and Sandy Embler, one of my friends from French Broad Elementary School, said I could find the pies at a grocery store on Merrimon Avenue. She couldn’t remember the name, but said she stocks up every time she is in town.

Luke, my brother, and Jordan and I decided to try a grocery store called Save-Mor. We walked throughout the store and didn’t find anything. Jordan said let’s look up front and she found them.

“There they are,” I shouted a little too loud and had a woman in line just about jump out of her skin. After apologizing to her, I pounced on the two boxes. They had peach, pineapple, chocolate, one apple and strawberry. The strawberry was in a plain wrapper.

I got 10 pies. I felt like I should leave a few for somebody else.

At checkout, the lady said “Oh are the person who called this morning about the pies?” No it wasn’t me.

She proceeded to tell me the original Townhouse owners, who lived up near the VA Hospital had recently sold their recipes and business to someone who was reviving the company and it had moved to Candler. The strawberry pie was new and they didn’t even have wrapper for it yet.

I resisted the urge to eat one of the pies. Luke couldn’t eat them because he has to have gluten-free, but I sent pies home with him for his kids, Cassie and Ethan, and his wife, Ruth.

That left seven for my family. That night we had birthday cake for my father-in-law Edgar Banks, who turned 92 on July 4. I also had peach pound cake. I would save the Townhouse pies for the trip home.

Well, guess what? Tuesday morning I am cruising along I-40 up near Ridgecrest when it hit me. “Dang it!” Kim said what’s wrong. I left all seven of my prized pies laying on the counter at Mr. Banks’ house.

If you have a Friday Five (or a Sunday Supplement), story idea or something I can rant on, email [email protected] or call or text 704-786-0001.