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Gaston County approves five‑year Level One incentive grant for Project Metro to retain 15 jobs
Summary
The Gaston County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously June 23 to authorize a standard five‑year Level One economic development incentive grant to Project Metro, a company seeking to expand operations locally and create 15 new jobs; EDC said the firm had considered leaving the county because of a lack of suitable space.
The Gaston County Board of Commissioners on June 23 unanimously approved a five‑year Level One incentive grant to a local industry referred to in the meeting as “Project Metro,” authorizing the county to enter an economic development agreement intended to support the company’s planned expansion and the creation of 15 new jobs.
The county’s assistant director of the Economic Development Commission (introduced in the meeting as Miss Sum) told commissioners the firm has operated in Gaston County for 15 years and had been searching for a larger facility to accommodate its growth. She said the county worked with the company for about a year, found an older vacant building the company is interested in and is pursuing building reuse grants and potential brownfield credits at the state level to support the project.
Why it matters: EDC staff framed the Level One grant as the county’s standard five‑year incentive for business expansions that are judged likely to preserve or create jobs in the local economy. Commissioners moved to approve the grant after the public hearing segment; because no citizens spoke for or against the project, the board proceeded directly to vote. The recorded vote on the motion to approve was unanimous.
What the county recorded: The EDC overview said the expansion would add 15 new jobs and that the company was at risk of relocating to neighboring counties without local assistance. County staff did not specify the wage level in the public summary beyond saying jobs would be created “paying at the county’s” (transcript wording truncated); the motion and vote were entered on the record without further conditions presented during the meeting.
Next steps: With the board’s approval, county staff and the EDC will finalize the economic development agreement and take steps to secure any state building reuse or brownfield incentives discussed during the presentation. The board’s clerk closed the public hearing on the item at the meeting.
The board took the vote during the regular meeting segment following a short work‑session presentation earlier in the evening.
