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Forsyth County to apply for state building‑reuse grant to support Project Flower headquarters
Summary
County staff told commissioners they will seek a North Carolina Building Reuse Grant to help Project Flower buy and renovate a facility in Forsyth County; the company expects a $3 million investment, about 41 jobs and an estimated $120,000 in new tax revenue over 10 years. Commissioners discussed whether to disclose the company’s identity during a
At an Oct. 6 briefing, Forsyth County staff said the county will seek a North Carolina Department of Commerce Building Reuse Grant on behalf of Project Flower, a botanical‑product manufacturer planning a headquarters and manufacturing site in Forsyth County.
Elena Fiore, an economic development specialist in the county’s Community Economic Development Department, told commissioners the company anticipates a roughly $3,000,000 capital investment to purchase and renovate a facility and create office and manufacturing space. Fiore said the project would create an estimated 41 jobs with an average annual wage of about $79,000 and generate about $120,000 in new tax revenue over the next 10 years.
Fiore said the state grant requires that a unit of local government apply for and administer the award, and that, if a county resolution is approved, Forsyth County would submit the application for a December award and, if the grant is awarded, pass the funds from the state to the company.
Commissioners questioned the briefing process for incentive items. One commissioner said withholding a company’s identity at the briefing limits public ability to research a prospective employer’s record before a public hearing. County staff told the board that disclosure of the applicant’s name is within the board’s discretion and can be adjusted if the board asks to do so.
Fiore said Project Flower has participated in local entrepreneurial programs and currently produces white‑label wellness and cosmetic topical products that are manufactured under FDA manufacturing practices. She said she could follow up with details about any medical or pharmaceutical uses. Fiore also identified the company’s NAICS code as falling under biomedical manufacturing.
No formal county vote was recorded at the Oct. 6 briefing. Staff presented the project to place the item on the board’s Oct. 9 public hearing agenda and to request the resolution authorizing submission of the application to the state.
If approved by the board and awarded by the state, the county would receive and then pass through the state Building Reuse Grant funds to Project Flower to support the facility purchase and renovation.
