Great Meadows in western Burke County was named one of five top industrial sites in the state’s SelectSite program. The designation could attract funding, but major infrastructure, rail access and acquisition hurdles remain unresolved.
Great Meadows in western Burke County was named one of five top industrial sites in the state’s SelectSite program. The designation could attract funding, but major infrastructure, rail access and acquisition hurdles remain unresolved.
Burke County’s speculative industrial shell building project at the Burke Business Park is only a couple of weeks away from being a biddable construction project, County Manager Brian Epley said.
Civil engineering — preparing infrastructure for a construction project — is currently underway for the shell building at Burke Business Park, located near exit 96 on I-40 west of Morganton.
he 2024 saga of the proposed Great Meadows industrial megasite in western Burke County is as sprawling as the 1,353-acre tract itself. The project began simply enough in the fall of 2023, but as the new year dawned, it quickly became apparent absolutely nothing else about the process would be simple.
Originally allocated $35.8 million for the Great Meadows site, lacking funds for infrastructure, the commissioners decided to redirect resources for a quicker economic payoff.Â
The N.C. House voted 72-46 Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of State Bill 382, paving the way for Burke County to reallocate $20 million from the Great Meadows industrial megasite to another project at Burke Business Park.
The State Senate voted 30-19 to override Governor Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that allows Burke County to reallocate $20 million from the Great Meadows industrial megasite project to construct an industrial shell building at Burke Business Park.Â
Burke County is dramatically and unexpectedly distancing itself from the Great Meadows industrial megasite, apparently demoting the priority of what elected officials long touted as a game-changing economic development initiative.
As Burke Development Inc. (BDI) President and CEO Alan Wood explains, progress on endeavors of this size is often incremental, and there is more work to do in preparation for marketing the site to potential tenants.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve conditional industrial zoning for 745 acres of the proposed Great Meadows megasite. This move opens the door for Burke Development Inc. (BDI) to purchase the property, potentially increasing the tax base and creating hundreds of jobs.
A lengthy meeting Thursday featured a long parade of speakers during the public comments portion and culminated in a 3-1 vote, with one member abstaining, in favor of recommending Burke Development’s request to rezone 746 acres of the site to Industrial Conditional Rezoning (IND-CD-01).
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