Commission approves project management agreement to use state grant money for Burke Business Park shell building plan, 4–1

County management presented a project management agreement on Feb. 17 to allow use of a portion of a 2023 General Assembly grant to develop speculative industrial shell buildings at Burke Business Park. The board approved the agreement 4–1.

County staff said Burke Development received a $35,800,000 grant in 2023 intended for economic development at the Great Meadows industrial site; the grant was originally broken into roughly $22,000,000 for property acquisition and $13,800,000 for water/wastewater infrastructure. Recent legislation allowed flexibility for $20,000,000 of the $22,000,000 to be used for other economic development purposes, including construction of shell buildings on pre‑graded, utility‑served pads at Burke Business Park.

The project management agreement formalizes communication and joint decision making among Burke County, Burke Development, and the interlocal partners that own the business park; it also aligns a 10‑year agreement term with the parties’ option on the real property while preserving the 36‑month statutory window (from Dec. 2024) to design, build and sell a shell building under the grant conditions. The manager’s office said proceeds from any sale must be returned to the designated account in accordance with the legislative grant restrictions.

Commissioners asked whether county ownership and leasing were possible under the framework and were told multiple models exist (including public‑private options) but that any final ownership, sale or lease decision would return to the board for approval. The county manager said leasing is not the preferred model but is legally possible.

The board voted 4–1 to approve the project management agreement and authorized the chairman to execute it. Commissioners said they expect periodic reports and that any decision about ownership or leasing would require further board approval.

Key factual points from the meeting: the grant total cited was $35.8 million; the allocation discussed was roughly $22.0 million (property acquisition) and $13.8 million (infrastructure); legislation allowed $20.0 million of the property funds to be used flexibly; the grant requires a 36‑month window for constructing and selling a shell building from Dec. 2024; the agreement term is 10 years to match property option timelines; the board action was a 4–1 approval.