Economic Development - Expansions and Relocations

[cltbwimob]

1 minute ago, theronhobbs said:

To clarify: Not jobs, but total building area. Manufacturing. I'll leave it at that. Announcement probably Q2 2022.

Can you give a hint as to what industry?  Aerospace, Automotive, heavy Machinery, food production, pharma?

 

 

[ArchiCLT]

18 hours ago, cltbwimob said:

Can you give a hint as to what industry?  Aerospace, Automotive, heavy Machinery, food production, pharma?

One of those. 

[KJHburg]

National article on the 2 battery plants announced in NC on the same day the Arrival plant in Charlotte and of course the much larger Toyota battery plant on the Greensboro Randolph megasite

Two New EV Battery Plants To Create 1,900 Jobs In North Carolina (businessfacilities.com)

[KJHburg]

Major  manufacturing win for the region with this huge solar panel manufacturing plant in Gaston County.

""Gaston County leaders approved incentives last night for a large project that could locate there. The company considering making that investment is now known, according to what multiple sources have told the Charlotte Business Journal. Those sources told CBJ that Silfab Solar, a manufacturer with locations in Canada and Washington state, is the company behind Project Borealis. County documents show Project Borealis would locate at Gateway85, NorthPoint Development's 365-acre industrial park between Gastonia and Lowell. The project calls for a $159 million investment and the creation of 675 jobs.""

Solar panel manufacturer behind $159M project mulling Gaston County, sources say - Charlotte Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

[rancenc]

Great year for the state of NC in the job creation category.

https://www.wraltechwire.com/2021/12/23/north-carolina-recruits-record-number-of-jobs-10b-in-investment-in-2021/

[JRCLT]

Great year for the state of NC in the job creation category.
https://www.wraltechwire.com/2021/12/23/north-carolina-recruits-record-number-of-jobs-10b-in-investment-in-2021/

“Economic development projects from small to large have made news across the state, but as usual most of the large ones ended up in either the Triangle, the Triad or Charlotte.”

What an interesting tone to say that in…

[videtur quam contuor]

I agree about the word "but" in that sentence. Using "but" diminishes or retracts the first part of a statement without honestly doing so. For example: I love you, but...

Whatever you say before the "but" has been poisoned by that three letter word regardless what follows.  "But" is a conjunction with an agenda.

[kayman]

Too many status quo or looking back to yesteryear thinking/agenda-setting individuals who want to depress or disparage rapid growth in the regions why this state is in the top 10 in the nation's annual population growth.  This type of thinking is going to have to cease

Edited December 25, 2021 by kayman

[deleted account]

https://www.yahoo.com/now/arrival-reveals-ev-just-ride-172200201.html

[Windsurfer]

On 12/24/2021 at 9:50 PM, kayman said:

Too many status quo or looking back to yesteryear thinking/agenda-setting individuals who want to depress or disparage rapid growth in the regions why this state is in the top 10 in the nation's annual population growth.  This type of thinking is going to have to cease

I'm confused with this comment, besides the fact that I think "rapid growth" for the sake of growth is a good thing.  If we have too many folks looking back and wanting to maintain status quo, how is it we're in the "top 10" ? Apparently,  yearning for smart growth accelerates just the thing some of don't want. (?)

[KJHburg]

Speaking of another NC megasite that might be the home for a mega factory is the Moncure megasite in Chatham County SW of Raleigh not too far from Sanford.

From the Triad Biz Journal:

""North Carolina’s fiscal year 2022 state budget approved in November allocates $34 million to Sanford, a Lee County city about 45 miles southwest of Raleigh and 60 miles southeast of Greensboro. It will help fund a $270 million water system expansion that, according to Business North Carolina, would serve a possible semiconductor plant at Triangle Innovation Point — formerly branded the Moncure Megasite — in Chatham County   The publication reports that the 2,500-acre megasite is on track to land either a semiconductor chip plant, an operation that consumes massive amounts of water, or a major manufacturer. North Carolina has seen an uptick in semiconductor maker interest. One such manager, TBJ has learned, had looked at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, but disqualified it because of inadequate water availability. ""

Semiconductor chip plants take a lot of water and not sure why so many located in Arizona and NC which has much more water is a perfect location for a new chip plant.  Samsung's new chip plant outside of Austin is a $7 Billion investment.   And this plant at this megasite maybe the biggest investment in NC history!  Keep an eye on this. 

Edited December 26, 2021 by KJHburg

[JRCLT]

I'm confused with this comment, besides the fact that I think "rapid growth" for the sake of growth is a good thing.  If we have too many folks looking back and wanting to maintain status quo, how is it we're in the "top 10" ? Apparently,  yearning for smart growth accelerates just the thing some of don't want. (?)

Essentially NC is growing whether people like it or not. People are moving here. Growth for the sake of growth is not what is important here. What is meant by that is that while cities try to accommodate that growth with intelligent and thoughtful design as well as where people want to live and providing jobs for those people (People are attracted to Jobs, but also people are attracted to places and those people need jobs).

The conservative bunch in this state end up maintaining the status quo that NC has had for a while. The recent growth in the 21st Century is making the rural lifestyle unsustainable and cities are becoming congested due to this influx. Some groups in the state are neglecting the issues and stomping out the solutions to growth likely a product of hate of urban environments that tend to be “democratic; liberal” and would like to avoid what has happened in California and NYC (prominent symbols of things conservatives hate). NC is trying to grow in a smarter, more aware fashion by providing better transit and accessibility to improve and accommodate growth in a controlled way with sustainable ideas and solutions. Only people that have something to lose tend to be against these solution and sometimes what is lost is the status quo.

[kayman]

1 hour ago, Windsurfer said:

I'm confused with this comment, besides the fact that I think "rapid growth" for the sake of growth is a good thing.  If we have too many folks looking back and wanting to maintain status quo, how is it we're in the "top 10" ? Apparently,  yearning for smart growth accelerates just the thing some of don't want. (?)

The negatively thinking individuals who wrote that wants everywhere to be growing like Charlotte an the Triangle. However unless the Millennials and GenZ  professionals chose otherwise then these two places are the main draws to NC. If the other 74 counties are losing population then it says the said younger professionals are not drawn there. That's what's an economic development problem the state leaders need to solve and stop downplaying the high growth happening in Charlotte and the Triangle.

[KJHburg]

57 of the 100 NC counties grew with 43 losing population.  However they might be stopping (the lack of growth in declining counties) with more remote work and work and live anywhere.

https://www.ncdemography.org/2020/03/27/new-county-estimates-offer-2020-census-preview/

Fastest growing county in the state?   Johnston County SE of Wake County.   While younger people the 20 somethings might be attract to the big cities people in other age groups may not be as much they will live in ring counties and some if will live even further out.  

Housing prices in the 2 biggest counties Wake and Mecklenburg are significantly more than surrounding counties and this is driving more people further out into ring counties the 2nd ring around especially Mecklenburg .  If I need to go in the office 2x a week what is stopping me from getting more of house in lets say Stanly County, Rowan  or Cleveland County?  

check out where the commuters working in Mecklenburg are coming from and they are coming from a lot further out than you might think.   Over 1100 come from Caldwell County that is Lenior. 

https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/commuting-and-charlotte-region’s-economic-connections

[Norm2]

29 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

57 of the 100 NC counties grew with 43 losing population.  However they might be stopping (the lack of growth in declining counties) with more remote work and work and live anywhere.

https://www.ncdemography.org/2020/03/27/new-county-estimates-offer-2020-census-preview/

Fastest growing county in the state?   Johnston County SE of Wake County.   While younger people the 20 somethings might be attract to the big cities people in other age groups may not be as much they will live in ring counties and some if will live even further out.  

Housing prices in the 2 biggest counties Wake and Mecklenburg are significantly more than surrounding counties and this is driving more people further out into ring counties the 2nd ring around especially Mecklenburg .  If I need to go in the office 2x a week what is stopping me from getting more of house in lets say Stanly County, Rowan  or Cleveland County?  

check out where the commuters working in Mecklenburg are coming from and they are coming from a lot further out than you might think.   Over 1100 come from Caldwell County that is Lenior. 

https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/commuting-and-charlotte-region’s-economic-connections

When I look to sell my townhouse in a couple of years, I'll probably have to look into moving to a ring county for a single family home. The housing prices in Mecklenburg are a bit too crazy.

[kermit]

19 hours ago, KJHburg said:

57 of the 100 NC counties grew with 43 losing population.  However they might be stopping (the lack of growth in declining counties) with more remote work and work and live anywhere.

https://www.ncdemography.org/2020/03/27/new-county-estimates-offer-2020-census-preview/

[Data pedant warning!] The link posted above uses 2020 estimated figures which were released before the census. The actual Census data for 2020 (can be found here: https://www.ncdemography.org/2021/08/12/first-look-at-2020-census-for-north-carolina/  )  shows that 51 NC counties lost population since 2010 (so 49 gained). A loose breakdown of the growers:

Four counties grew by more than 20% over the decade:

Johnston 21.82%
Brunswick 21.41%
Cabarrus 21.17%
Wake 20.22% (228,417 people)

Five grew by 15-20% over the decade (listed in descending order)

Durham
Mecklenburg 17.56% (195,854 people)
Chatham
Currituck
Union 15.52% (36,975 people)

10 Counties grew by 10-15% (listed in descending order)
Iredell
Harnett
Pender (added less than 8,000)
Onslow
Alamance
Franklin
Buncombe
Moore
New Hanover
Orange

This left 30 counties which had positive growth for the decade, but at rates of less than 1% per year -- the state's average growth rate was 8.6% for the decade. Lumping together the average growers with the decliners leaves NC with 81 counties that are 'dragging'. 

The various types of secondary data (permits, address change, vendor models) have not yet suggested any significant changes in the above figures after 2020. (the 2020 census is enumerated as of April 1 2020, that was only 1 month into domestic Covid so it certainly did not capture any behavior changes)

Edited December 27, 2021 by kermit

[Windsurfer]

4 hours ago, JeanClt said:

Essentially NC is growing whether people like it or not. People are moving here. Growth for the sake of growth is not what is important here. What is meant by that is that while cities try to accommodate that growth with intelligent and thoughtful design as well as where people want to live and providing jobs for those people (People are attracted to Jobs, but also people are attracted to places and those people need jobs).

The conservative bunch in this state end up maintaining the status quo that NC has had for a while. The recent growth in the 21st Century is making the rural lifestyle unsustainable and cities are becoming congested due to this influx. Some groups in the state are neglecting the issues and stomping out the solutions to growth likely a product of hate of urban environments that tend to be “democratic; liberal” and would like to avoid what has happened in California and NYC (prominent symbols of things conservatives hate). NC is trying to grow in a smarter, more aware fashion by providing better transit and accessibility to improve and accommodate growth in a controlled way with sustainable ideas and solutions. Only people that have something to lose tend to be against these solution and sometimes what is lost is the status quo.

Thanks. Now I think I understand the comment.  FWIW, I'm living in rural Oregon right now. It's the same thing, if not worse, here.  It's a very similar story throughout the world, no? I remember the same thing was happening in South America when I lived there in the 70s.  All the young people, especially those with any ambition, moved to the big cities.  What doesn't help much is that all these young folks with ambition aren't reproducing and moving back 'home'. 

[KJHburg]

another megasite in NC may be getting a blockbuster project.  This is the megasite in the SE corner of Chatham County between Sanford and Apex SW of Raleigh.

""A U.S. semiconductor company is scouting a Chatham County site for what could be among the largest economic development projects in North Carolina history. The project, if it comes to fruition, could have a capital investment of $40 billion or more with 5,000 to 10,000 jobs at full buildout. Multiple sources tell Triangle Business Journal the project is on an accelerated timeline as the country, and the world, rushes to fill the gap in the global chip shortage that's hampering the economic recovery and causing supply chain disruption.  Citing non-disclosure agreements with various parties including the company and site selection officials, sources would not confirm the name of the company but confirmed it is a U.S. chipmaker. Cities in Texas, Arizona and California are also vying for the project, sources added.  Last October, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra of Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology (Nasdaq: MU), one of world's largest chipmakers, announced the company's intent to invest more than $150 billion globally over the next decade in memory manufacturing and research and development.""

from the Triangle Biz Journal.    NC has one semiconductor plant a smaller one in Greensboro but this would be a HUGE one.  Samsung is spending $7 Billion on a new plant outside of Austin that was announced last year. 

We have one sorta megasite here in the Charlotte region the old Phillip Morris property which has attracted several plants and distributions centers of late. The beverage and canning hub for Red Bull and its partners is a $740 M investment announced last year.  They are taking a huge chunk of its land though  Maybe one of the outer ring counties needs to put together a megasite  and get it zoned, utilities extended etc as these things do take years to put together.   I would suggest Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan and even Union could put a huge site together maybe even Stanly. 

[RANYC]

3 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

another megasite in NC may be getting a blockbuster project.  This is the megasite in the SE corner of Chatham County between Sanford and Apex SW of Raleigh.

""A U.S. semiconductor company is scouting a Chatham County site for what could be among the largest economic development projects in North Carolina history. The project, if it comes to fruition, could have a capital investment of $40 billion or more with 5,000 to 10,000 jobs at full buildout. Multiple sources tell Triangle Business Journal the project is on an accelerated timeline as the country, and the world, rushes to fill the gap in the global chip shortage that's hampering the economic recovery and causing supply chain disruption.  Citing non-disclosure agreements with various parties including the company and site selection officials, sources would not confirm the name of the company but confirmed it is a U.S. chipmaker. Cities in Texas, Arizona and California are also vying for the project, sources added.  Last October, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra of Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology (Nasdaq: MU), one of world's largest chipmakers, announced the company's intent to invest more than $150 billion globally over the next decade in memory manufacturing and research and development.""

from the Triangle Biz Journal.    NC has one semiconductor plant a smaller one in Greensboro but this would be a HUGE one.  Samsung is spending $7 Billion on a new plant outside of Austin that was announced last year. 

We have one sorta megasite here in the Charlotte region the old Phillip Morris property which has attracted several plants and distributions centers of late. The beverage and canning hub for Red Bull and its partners is a $740 M investment announced last year.  They are taking a huge chunk of its land though  Maybe one of the outer ring counties needs to put together a megasite  and get it zoned, utilities extended etc as these things do take years to put together.   I would suggest Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan and even Union could put a huge site together maybe even Stanly. 

Good grief, 5k-10k jobs.  No chance Charlotte area can get in on this?

[KJHburg]

7 minutes ago, RANYC said:

Good grief, 5k-10k jobs.  No chance Charlotte area can get in on this?

Probably not as I dont know of a site prepped for such a huge plant.  That is why I am saying we need a megasite around here somewhere.  Could this be a good fit for the Charlotte area of course it could but you have to have the land ready to go for something like this.  

[RANYC]

6 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Probably not as I dont know of a site prepped for such a huge plant.  That is why I am saying we need a megasite around here somewhere.  Could this be a good fit for the Charlotte area of course it could but you have to have the land ready to go for something like this.  

actually, I change my reaction.  Do these plants still consume extraordinary amounts of water that get then get released as toxic waste after use?  Jeez there's just no free lunch in the world.  It's like we build and destroy all at the same time.  plight of man.

[KJHburg]

3 minutes ago, RANYC said:

actually, I change my reaction.  Do these plants still consume extraordinary amounts of water that get then get released as toxic waste after use?  Jeez there's just no free lunch in the world.  It's like we build and destroy all at the same time.  plight of man.

they use a lot of water but dont think they release a lot of toxic waste into the water.  Arizona Phoenix in particularly has a lot of these which is curious since they are big water users and they are in the desert. 

[RANYC]

5 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

they use a lot of water but dont think they release a lot of toxic waste into the water.  Arizona Phoenix in particularly has a lot of these which is curious since they are big water users and they are in the desert. 

Just found this passage concerning Intel continuing to build in the Arizona desert - the builders of these plants make investments in reclamation and purification:

Counterintuitively, the famously thirsty industry can even improve the local water supply due to a focus on reclamation and purification—Intel has funded 15 water restoration projects in the Grand Canyon State with a goal of restoring 937 million gallons per year, and it expects to reach net positive water use once the projects are completed.  https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/why-do-chip-makers-keep-building-foundries-in-the-arizona-desert/

Edited January 5, 2022 by RANYC

[videtur quam contuor]

Did the Triangle Business Journal bury the lede? Is Micron the company searching for a site? Or is the mention far down in the paragraph meant to use Micron as an example of chip manufacturers?

[tozmervo]

13 hours ago, RANYC said:

Just found this passage concerning Intel continuing to build in the Arizona desert - the builders of these plants make investments in reclamation and purification:

Counterintuitively, the famously thirsty industry can even improve the local water supply due to a focus on reclamation and purification—Intel has funded 15 water restoration projects in the Grand Canyon State with a goal of restoring 937 million gallons per year, and it expects to reach net positive water use once the projects are completed.  https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/why-do-chip-makers-keep-building-foundries-in-the-arizona-desert/

I'm going to need someone to explain how they are planning to become net positive. That's a massive claim and I can't sort out in my head how that would be possible.