Buncombe County wants to buy the old Volvo plant for $7 million. It is esteemed to be the best available plot of manufacturing real estate in the county. The commissioners believe if the taxpayers buy it, they (the commissioners) will be able to get what they want on the land.
“We think that by owning it we’ll have more leverage in getting a plant there,” [Commission Chair David Gantt] said.
The plant shut down in March, 2010. Upon getting word of the announcement, the Mountain Xpress wrote:
An estimated 228 employees will lose their jobs in a facility that both Buncombe County and the city of Asheville had earmarked for millions in economic-incentive grants just a few years ago.
Now, the Citizen-Times writes:
During a closed session June 7, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners discussed possible economic incentives for a company that “would bring up to 400 jobs and make a $125 million investment” in the area.
The county would take out a loan for the purchase, and repay the loan after they found a buyer they liked.
