Johnston County holds public hearing on Clayton Commerce Center incentive request

Johnston County economic development staff opened a public hearing May 5 on a proposed incentive package for the Clayton Commerce Center, a developer-led plan to construct three speculative Class A industrial buildings totaling about 382,000 square feet on U.S. 70 in the Town of Clayton.

The county's economic development director, Chris Johnson, told the Board of Commissioners the proposed program would pair a developer-led build-to-lease model with an economic development incentive grant (EDIG). He said Wiley Capital would build the project and the county would commit to a temporary lease for up to 100,000 square feet at a subsidized rate while the developer markets the property to prospective tenants.

County staff and the developer said the project would aim to attract advanced manufacturing jobs and widen local employment options. "We're only committing to $3 a square foot and that is significantly well below the market average of $9 to $12 a square foot," Johnson said, describing the county payment structure designed to lower the developer's near-term carrying cost and speed construction. Jason Simons, owner of Wiley Capital, said the incentive is a key factor in making the project feasible: "If it weren't for these incentives, however, it makes it much more challenging...so these incentives and the grant are really important to us bringing this project forward and creating it."

Why it matters: County staff said the…