CSX selects N.C. site for industrial development

The Class I railway’s Site Select program identifies development-ready properties along the CSX network where zoning requirements and due diligence have already been taken care of in order to help manufacturers speed the occupation process.    CSX has pre-certified the Washburn Switch Business Park in Cleveland County, N.C. as ready for development.
   Under the Jacksonville, Fla. Class I railway’s Site Select program, CSX partners with site selection consulting firm The Austin Co. to designate industrial sites along its network as having met certain requirements and assist communities with the application and certification process. The idea is to help prospective manufacturers make decisions about where to locate plants and distribution centers as factors like utility availability, rail service, proximity to highways, and environmental reviews have already been taken care of.
   The Washburn Switch Business Park is the third site in North Carolina to be designated a CSX Select Site, the railway said in a statement.
   “The fast-growing metropolitan areas of Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina, as well as Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, are all within a 60-mile radius of this site,” said Carl Warren, director of ports and industrial development at CSX. “The Washburn Switch Business Park offers one of the best available rail-served industrial sites in this region.”
   “Over the last four years, Cleveland County and the City of Shelby have taken the right steps to position this property to be ready for rail-served development,” added Jonathan Gemmen, senior location consultant for The Austin Company. “From purchasing the property, to designing and permitting utility extensions, to conducting the necessary environmental studies, these proactive steps send a welcoming message to prospective companies.”
   The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to open the first leg of a U.S. Highway 74 Bypass around the north side of Shelby in early 2017.
   “With an interchange at Washburn Switch Road, the Bypass will provide interstate-quality access just a few hundred yards south of this site,” said Eddie Holbrook of the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners.