Redevelopment staff touts site‑readiness wins, new staff and marketing as county works to attract industrial investment
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Summary
Staff told the commission Delaware County was selected for Norfolk Southern and AEP site‑readiness programs, highlighted prior successes where due diligence helped land projects, introduced new redevelopment staff Gina Carvallo, and requested better warehouse inventory sharing with local real estate to respond to investor inquiries.
Delaware County redevelopment staff told the commission the county has been accepted into two competitive site‑readiness programs this year and is positioning additional sites to be shovel ready to attract industrial investment.
Staff said Norfolk Southern’s rail‑served site program and American Electric Power’s Ready Sites initiative will help certify and promote rail‑served and other utility‑ready properties to site selectors and prospective employers. "We were chosen to participate," staff said, adding the programs pair technical due diligence with third‑party promotion to make sites more attractive to companies that require rapid timelines.
Staff cited a prior example where due diligence and pre‑mitigation efforts helped land a project at a corner property on Cowen Road near the Muncie bypass (the site where CanPack/Campac operations are located today), saying the commission’s ability to answer technical questions during site visits reduces investor risk and helped win that project. Commissioners praised the outreach and asked for clearer inventories of available warehouse space; staff agreed to compile specifications for an investor who had requested an inventory.
The commission was also informed that Gina Carvallo joined the redevelopment team this year; staff said Carvallo has tracked approximately $3.7 million in redevelopment claims and six years of TIF obligations to inform spending trends and future planning. The office reported a rebrand and a new website as additional tools to reach site selectors and local stakeholders.
Commissioners asked staff to continue regular updates, to provide a written summary of the presentation and to work more closely with the local real estate community so prospective projects are included in the county’s database. The presentation was informational and no formal vote was required.