Land in the Enfield area has been added to the top 15 industrial sites in NC

Halifax County has been recognized for having one of the most important industrial sites in the state, Economic Development Director Cathy Scott said today.

The North Carolina Economic Development Partnership, in its report on the SelectSite readiness program, identified the Highway 301 industrial site in the Enfield area as one of 15 SelectSites for North Carolina. “This designation means the US 301 Industrial Site, located on US Highway 301 north of Enfield, will be targeted for major advanced manufacturing projects and will receive increased development and marketing support from the state and EDPNC,” Scott said.

Site Selection Group, a national site location consulting firm, and Thomas & Hutton, a full-service engineering design firm, performed the site analyses, starting with more than 60 sites.

The assessment included not only technical and engineering assessments of each site, but also assessments of labor availability, site development costs and total operating costs which are the main factors for a site’s overall competitiveness.

“This 251-acre heavy industrial site with all utilities including rail has tremendous potential to create jobs and attract significant investment for Halifax County,” Scott said. “The board of commissioners’ vision for the US 301 Industrial Site, along with early support from Halifax Horizons and the Golden LEAF Foundation for important due diligence, paved the way for the site to be a strong contender for major manufacturing projects.”

She told commissioners this morning that the designation “guarantees that we are at the table with the manufacturing companies that are looking at our state. I am very excited about it. It will be a game changer. Thank you for your vision.”

According to EDPNC President Gene McLaurin, the state’s General Assembly established the SelectSite Readiness Program in 2023 “to support the development of sites that would increase North Carolina’s competitiveness for the location or expansion of major manufacturing projects in key industry sectors.”

The program is a counterpart to the Megasite training program. “The creation of the SRP recognized that not all major manufacturing projects require the 1,000-acre minimum required to qualify as a megasite,” McLaurin said. “Recognizing that an independent review was needed, EDPNC was authorized to hire a national site selection firm to evaluate sites in North Carolina and identify up to 15 sites best positioned to successfully service major advanced production projects with the goal of them (sites) receiving increased development. and marketing support from the state and EDPNC.”

He said: “We recognize that site development is the foundation of increased industrial economic development. Not every site is a perfect fit for every opportunity, but North Carolina as a state is well positioned for continued investment from our targeted industries and must be able to provide the critical product and infrastructure to meet those demands.”