Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Industrial Parks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pitt and Greene County leaders discuss multi-jurisdictional industrial park; board agrees to pursue ministerial/interlocal agreement
Summary
County and Greene County economic development officials presented plans to market combined sites as a single industrial park of up to about 1,000 acres; Pitt County commissioners voted to move forward with a ministerial/interlocal agreement to pursue due diligence and marketing.
Representatives from Pitt County and neighboring Greene County presented a proposal to jointly market and pursue development of adjoining industrial sites as a multi-jurisdictional industrial park that could be marketed as a single large parcel to attract higher-capital projects.
Trey Cash and Kelly Andrews outlined the rationale: North Carolina has a shortage of “shovel-ready” large sites, and combining Pitt and Greene County parcels could allow the region to offer sites large enough for major industrial investments. Presenters said Farmville Corks Park (described as roughly 400 acres) in Pitt County has extensive recent due diligence and is part of the NC Electric Cooperative Rural Ready Sites and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina’s Select Sites program. Greene County staff reported options on more than 630 acres on Burnett Road near Farmville and said both counties’ parcels are in the same electric and wastewater service areas, creating potential to market up to roughly 1,000 contiguous acres.
Greene County staff said they have budgeted $125,000 for due diligence on their site and have contracted Terracon to complete Phase I work with the goal of being shovel ready by the end of 2025; they also indicated intent to seek additional non-local funding for further due diligence. Presenters pointed to precedent for two-county and multi-county parks elsewhere in North Carolina and asked the board to authorize staff to pursue an interlocal/ministerial agreement to coordinate marketing, master planning, utilities due diligence and select-site applications.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions, and the board moved and approved a motion to proceed with development of an interlocal ministerial agreement and to bring the proposed agreement back to the board for consideration. Supporters said a combined site would allow the counties to compete for larger projects that each county could not attract alone. Commissioners emphasized the potential regional economic benefit regardless of which county ultimately wins a competitive project.
