Warren County has been selected to participate in a Golden LEAF program that helps communities identify potential sites for industrial development.
It was the only community selected during this cycle of SITE Program Identification, according to information from the office of Warren County Manager Vincent Jones.
“I am appreciative that Golden LEAF has recognized the potential and value that we see here in Warren County,” Jones said in a press statement.
“Our inclusion in this program will provide us with yet another tool that will help Warren County strategically prepare for the kind of growth and development that is appropriate for Warren County.”
The SITE Program offers a three-phase approach to help communities identify potential sites for economic development, provide funding to complete due diligence on publicly controlled sites, and provide funding to extend public utilities to publicly controlled sites or to conduct clearing and rough grading of publicly owned sites.
“Participation in the SITE Program – Identification phase will allow us to further understand where we should be targeting our work and investments for marketable and attractive sites for the type of growth we aim to see,” said Charla Duncan, Warren County’s community & economic development director.
“As we look to prioritize infrastructure expansion, pursue development agreements with landowners, and support landowners in marketing their land,” continued Duncan, “we need a better understanding of competitive sites and where to strategically invest our resources.”
The Golden LEAF Foundation was established in 1999 to administer a portion of the tobacco settlement agreement monies back into North Carolina’s rural and economically distressed communities. Its mission is to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation and stewardship.
To learn more about Golden LEAF, visit www.goldenleaf.org.