These 15 manufacturing sites may not be ‘mega,’ but they could help NC land major projects

To grow North Carolina’s manufacturing sector, state leaders say they must continue to offer employers something that has become rarer in recent years: available and attractive sites.

A post-COVID surge in U.S. industrial projects has meant fewer quality sites on the market nationwide. In North Carolina, Toyota, VinFast and Wolfspeed have claimed three “megasites” — defined as being at least 1,000 contiguous acres — while a half-dozen tracts of similar scope remain open.

To win manufacturers that desire less than 1,000 acres, the North Carolina General Assembly directed $10 million in last year’s budget to create the Selectsite Readiness Program, which legislators tasked with identifying and supporting 15 smaller “selectsites.” Despite offering less space, these sites could still be large enough to accommodate multiple industrial projects — or one big tenant.

State law assigned the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina to lead the program, and its first step was to pinpoint the top 15 sites. EDPNC chose a consulting firm called Site Selection Group to coordinate the search.

From a pool of 64 applicant selectsites, the firm winnowed down candidates over the first half of 2024. Some had immediate disqualifying flaws like utility system issues or incorrect acreage. Each site was also given a “technical suitability” score, with factors including size and utility infrastructure, as well as a “workforce” score based on nearby labor and a score for “operational cost.”

Lastly, the consultants visited the final 23 sites and eliminated eight more candidates. On July 3, EDPNC released the report.

The chosen 15 locations will, under state law, benefit from “preferred development and marketing.” Resources include funding site preparations and bolstering surrounding infrastructure, expediting the permitting process, and helping local governments acquire the land.

The sites named in last week’s report are a mix of privately owned, publicly owned, or both. They range in size from 74 acres in Union County to 672 acres in Richmond County. While each is contiguous, some resemble geometric shapes while a few look like gerrymandered congressional districts.

In Wake County, the 345-acre Camp Helix site in Holly Springs was selected. Formed in 2022, the private site is ideal for attracting additional advanced manufacturing to a community that has already landed projects from Amgen and Fujifilm, said Irena Krstanovic, the town’s economic development director.

“Being named one of the 15 will definitely bring added visibility to Holly Springs and the site,” she told The News & Observer.

Another selected tract is Triangle Innovation Point West, which sits between the VinFast site in southeastern Chatham County and U.S. 1. The search report noted on-site rail access as a benefit of the 323-acre private site.

“Our team could build another 1.5 to 2 million square feet there,” said Al Williams, a managing director at the real estate firm JLL working with Triangle Innovation Point. “We’ve got the mindset that the balance of TIP West will be absorbed by a handful of companies, but if a single user wants to take it all, we’d certainly be open to that too.”

The 15 ‘top’ North Carolina sites under 1,000 acres

• Claremont International Rail Park (private) – Catawba County

• Triangle Innovation Point West (private) – Chatham County

• Triangle North Granville Industrial Park (public) – Granville County

• Reedy Fork Industrial Site (private) – Guilford County

• Crown Industrial Site (private) – Guilford County

• U.S. 301 Industrial Site (Public) – Halifax County

• Ferncliff Park (public) – Henderson County

• North Carolina Global TransPark North Site (public) – Lenoir County

• Holly Shelter Business Park (public/private) – New Hanover County

• Farmville Corporate Park (public) – Pitt County

• Energy Way Industrial Park (private) – Richmond County

• Expressway Commerce Park @ Monroe South (public) – Union County

• Camp Helix (private) – Wake County

• ParkEast-Ivey South (private) – Wayne County

• Carolinian Innovation Park (private) - Wilson County

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