Gaston County Schools issued the following announcement on June 23.
Gaston County leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of the Apple Creek Corporate Center, which marks the County’s continued investment in creating high-paying jobs for its residents.
The County began work on Apple Creek, which sits near the City of Gastonia, in 2014, as part of the Public-Private Site Development Initiative. Over the next five years, 15 different parcels of land were acquired to make this project a reality. All told, the County is investing $29 million in the project, between land acquisition, construction and engineering, according to Economic Development Commission Executive Director Donny Hicks.
That was happening in parallel with the filling of the Gastonia Tech Park, which has seen nine companies commit to the area, bringing with them a total of 539 jobs. The County’s Economic Development Department believes Apple Creek can produce a similar level of results.
“We put in the money up front to make this project a reality,” Gaston County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Jack Brown said. “But what we’ll get back in the decades to come in tax revenue and the jobs it will create for our citizens will pay for the investment we made many times over.”
Companies have come from all corners of the globe to invest in Gaston County – from Turkey to Belgium to Japan and many countries more. In fact, Southern Business and Development Magazine recognized Gaston County as a Foreign Direct Investment Cluster last year due to the high density of international firms that have located in business parks invested in by the County. In total, more than $370 million has been invested in all Foreign Direct Investment Projects in the County, leading to the creation of more than 1,000 jobs – most of which pay more than the County’s median wage.
Two companies have already committed to the Apple Creek Corporate Center, and those individual projects will be announced in coordination with those companies in the weeks ahead. As many as 10 other projects can be located in Apple Creek, depending upon the size and scale of the facility. The County, as part of preparing the Corporate Center, will mass grade the site and will provide all the necessary geotechnical and environmental reports.
An important factor in drawing in these businesses is the easy access to key transportation corridors. When determining where to invest with business parks, the County ideally looks for locations no more than five miles from Interstate 85 and within a 30-minute drive to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
Photos – credit Adam Gaub/Gaston County
From left, Gaston County Board of Commissioner Vice Chairman Jack Brown, Gaston County Economic Development Commission Vice Chairman Dick Cromlish and Gaston County Economic Development Executive Director Donnie Hicks talk during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Apple Creek Corporate Center on Tuesday, June 23rd.
From left, Gaston County Economic Development Commission Chairman Robert Browne, Gaston County Manager Dr. Kim Eagle, Gaston County Commissioner Bob Hovis, Gaston County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Jack Brown, Gaston County Economic Development Commission Vice Chairman Dick Cromlish and Gaston County Economic Development Executive Director Donnie Hicks shovel dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Apple Creek Corporate Center on Tuesday, June 23rd.
Gaston County Manager Dr. Kim Eagle and Gaston County Commissioner Bob Hovis speak during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Apple Creek Corporate Center on Tuesday, June 23rd.
Original source can be found here.
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