In the more than two decades since its founding, the Golden Triangle Development LINK has helped clear thousands of acres of land for industrial development, bringing millions in industry to the region, creating nearly five Megasites and thousands of jobs.
While CINCO, the region’s fifth Megasite, has yet to see its first tenant, the question of what comes next is already being asked – and answered.
“I won’t say that (CINCO) is the last Megasite ever,” said LINK CEO Meryl Fisackerly. “I would say our responsibility is that we first need to fill the CINCO Megasite and get tenants there, but we do need to be forward thinking, and we do need to be thinking about what is our next large land development.”
Trip Hairston, president for the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, agreed with Fisackerly. Industry and businesses go through cycles, Hairston said, pointing to examples like the former Ceco Building Systems in Columbus, which closed in 2006.
“It was a big driver of economics because you had high-paying jobs, you had a lot of engineers under one roof, and then … they were trucking all that stuff,” he said. “In my lifetime, I never would have believed that you could look through where Ceco Building Systems (was on Highway 45) and can see right through that site all the way to Bluecutt Road.”
For that reason, Hairston said it’s imperative that the region keeps thinking about the next site.
“I don’t think you can ever really take your foot off the gas to say, ‘Hey, you’re good,’” he said. “… We may not, with the next site, … be able to recruit a 5000-job industry, not immediately anyway because the market sets that demand. But I still think you have to be marketable.”
As for the next Lowndes County site that could be developed and marketed for industry, Hairston points north.
“North of Columbus, on (Highway) 45 … going towards the Monroe County line up that way, you’ve got rail,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of things that you look for in industrial development. I’m not saying that’s where we go next, but there are opportunities (in other places) than just the surrounding adjacent properties to (Golden Triangle Regional Airport).”
Fisackerly said the region also has prospects in Oktibbeha and Clay counties, including unfilled space at the Northstar Industrial Park.
“Something out here is in Oktibbeha County (is on our radar), being on the west side of Oktibbeha County,” she said. “… And the same with Clay County as well. We still have a lot of available land there, and the area that we’ve been developing there still has a lot of potential just given the infrastructure that’s been built there. We’ve got a lot of different things on our radar looking toward the future.”
Two options for the future, already acquired and prime for development, are the former Mississippi Sheriffs Boys and Girls Ranch property in Lowndes County and about 109 acres GTRA owns between the southern end of the airport runway and Airport Road.
Lowndes County supervisors in February deeded a portion of the former Mississippi Sheriffs Boys and Girls Ranch property to Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority, the rest of which was already owned by LCIDA. That 320-acre tract, Fisackerly said, was “low-hanging fruit” for building out the region’s portfolio.
“We know that it’s going to fit in our portfolio from size, location, but we still probably need to do some due diligence on that site,” she said. “And then the overarching goal would be to have it one day house some type of industrial tenant like we see all our other industrial properties doing.”
The airport purchased the 109 acres last year for $2 million, with all of the airport’s stakeholders pitching in to cover part of the cost. Fisackerly said the LINK and GTRA will work together to market the land to the best tenant, likely one from the aerospace industry.
“We get projects all the time that are looking for direct-runway access or they might need a hanger, so the right tenant for that property would be an aerospace tenant,” she said.
But raw acreage, Fisackerly said, is only a starting point. Logistical aspects, like proximity to major transportation routes and whether utilities can service the area, have to be considered when looking at developing land as well as proper due diligence, like environmental and cultural impact reports.
“There’s a whole entire development process that we go through,” she said. “There’s a lot of boxes that we want to make sure we’re checking, and we’re going through the process of making sure it’s a good fit for the community, making sure the resources are there for it and the utilities would be available or able to get there.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
