They’ve got land issues down in Davidson County. EDC director Steve Googe says there’s no land zoned for a “megasite” that would attract business and industry. Googe is working on it, but there’s always that one sticky issue that seems to come up:
In the interview Tuesday, Googe said efforts to create the megasite are “moving forward.” Owners of 137 pieces of property totaling about 2,700 acres have been approached, and the overwhelming majority have indicated a willingness to sell, he said. About 100 to 150 acres is occupied by houses, but the remainder is farmland.
Googe estimates just buying the land would cost $155 million. Installing infrastructure would cost still more.
In the past, business leaders have talked about creating a multi-jurisdictional park in which county government and interested municipalities in the county would share ownership as well as the costs, with likely assistance from local utilities and business-related organizations. Tuesday, however, Googe said that resources would probably also have to come from beyond the county lines — possibly from Triad, state, private and/or nonprofit sources.
“A multi-jurisdictional park in which county government and interested municipalities in the county would share ownership as well as the costs.” Seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before.