CSX fast-tracks S.C. site for industrial development

Site Select program takes care of bureaucratic requirements, due diligence to help manufacturers occupy industrial space faster.    Eastern railroad CSX said Tuesday that it has pre-certified a portion of an industrial park in Berkeley, S.C., 30 miles from the Port of Charleston, as ready for development.
   Under its Site Select program, CSX and The Austin Co. designate industrial properties along its network as having met zoning requirements and other criteria – utility availability, rail service, proximity to highways, completed environmental reviews – so that prospective manufacturers can make decisions about where to locate plants and distribution centers with the certainty of quick construction because land-use and other issues have been addressed in advance.
   Formerly a wholesale nursery operation, the 689-acre West Branch Commerce Park is adjacent to U.S. Highway 52 and CSX’s mainline. The southern half of the park received CSX Select Site designation.
   The West Branch Commerce Park is the third site in South Carolina to be designated a CSX Select Site.
   “The State of South Carolina continues to be a magnet for new industry,” said Clark Robertson, assistant vice president of regional development at CSX. “Located 30 miles from the Port of Charleston, this site is ideal for manufacturers with overseas customers or international supply chains and is well-positioned to capitalize on the area’s superior logistics capabilities.”