The Tennessee Department of of Economic and Community Development has announced that Huntingdon Industrial Park South whose sponsor is Carroll County Chamber of Commerce has been named among three recent sites certified through the Select Tennessee Certified Sites program.
The other two sites are Columbia Tennessee Rail Site whose sponsor is Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance and the Stewart-Houston Industrial Park whose sponsor is Stewart-Houston Industrial Board.
Sixty-five sites across Tennessee have been certified to date.
According to Carroll County Chamber of Commerce President Brad Hurley, the site certification case study involves four years to complete.
Key minimum requirements for Select Tennessee sites include: 20 or more contiguous developable acres, a confirmed asking price from a willing seller, evidence of clear title, documented acreage outside known flood prone areas, and property boundary or ALTA survey.
There is also Select Tennessee Site Certification Case Study that has to include: topographic survey (Minimal 2’ contour intervals), truck quality road access, all utilities (adequate capacities) at the site or a formal plan to extend to the site within a reasonable timeframe, current zoning in place or an expedited rezoning plan, documented permitting process, timeline and fees, a recent Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, preliminary geotechnical study and documentation of water resources, known cultural resources, and protected species.
The Select Tennessee Certified Sites program has helped communities prepare industrial sites for private investment and job creation since 2012. The program sets rigorous standards to give companies detailed and reliable information during the site selection process.
“The Select Tennessee Certified Sites program provides long term economic development opportunities for communities across the state,” TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe said. “Shovel-ready sites are enormous drivers of private capital investment, with companies investing nearly $2 billion on projects locating on certified sites. We congratulate these three communities for taking the steps to achieve this certification and look forward to the additional growth that will take place in the years ahead.”
The certification process ensures that each certified site meets high quality standards and are primed for development. Certified sites must have documented environmental conditions and geotechnical analysis, existing onsite utilities or a formal plan to extend utilities to the site, and truck-quality road access. TNECD has partnered with Austin Consulting to administer the certified sites program.
“The Select Tennessee Certified Site Program awards communities – whether rural or more populated – for their investment of time, effort, and resources,” said Jonathan Gemmen, senior director, Austin Consulting. “This program’s strong certification requirements send a message to prospects that each property with this designation – whether large or small – is ready for development.”
In response to changing market dynamics and the impact of COVID-19 across the state, TNECD recently made an adjustment to its certification requirements, which allowed two of the three sites to achieve certification.
Sites in Tier 3 or Tier 4 counties with at least 15 developable acres that are part of an industrial park and meet all other standards of certification are now eligible for certification. Reducing the number of acres required from 20 to 15 in industrial parks allows Tennessee’s most rural communities to meet the rigorous Select Tennessee standards for site certification while targeting companies that fit the labor market of those communities.
