The Golden Triangle Development LINK has won the Mississippi Economic Development Council’s 2016 Community Economic Development Award for its Infinity Megasite development and certification.
The CEDA program, according to a MEDC press release, is a best practices program meant to recognize exceptional contributions of Mississippi communities for business retention and expansion, business recruitment, community development and community involvement.
LINK Vice President of Internal and External Affairs Macaulay Whitaker said the development is one of the LINK’s best efforts and thanked MEDC for the award.
“The Infinity Megasite is, by way of previous development, one of the best megasites we’ve ever marketed,” she said. “We’re grateful to MEDC for their support and recognition of Lowndes County’s efforts to continue to bring growth to the Golden Triangle.”
The LINK unveiled the Infinity Megasite in August. Located west of Golden Triangle Regional Airport, it is the latest addition to the Golden Triangle Industrial Aerospace Park. It’s the third megasite in Lowndes County, added to the Lowndes County Megasite (Steel Dynamics) and the Crossroads Megasite (PACCAR).
A megasite, in economic development, is a large parcel of land designed to accommodate industrial production. Megasites must have at least 1,000 acres and are typically developed with suitable infrastructure and transportation access to attract businesses.
The Infinity Megasite covers 1,444 acres. It comes with access to 100 megawatts of electricity, features 2 million gallons of elevated tank storage for water with a 7.2 million gallons per day pumping capacity. It has waste water treatment capacity of 1.2 million gallons a day with expansion funded to 3.2 million gallons a day.
At the unveiling ceremony, LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins called the site a “By God gem,” and “the best bargain out there” for prospective industries.
The LINK worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority through its megasite program to certify the site beginning in fall 2015. That process, which can normally take up to two years, was completed in nine months.
LINK officials said this week the organization is in the early stages of the recruitment process for the megasite and did not name any potential suitors.
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