Incentives for industrial park, sale of land for RV dealership on commissioners meeting agenda

Published 12:01 am Sunday, April 3, 2022

SALISBURY — The Rowan County Board of Commissioners on Monday will consider incentivizing the development of a 380-acre industrial park that would bring 2.6 million square feet of commercial space to Long Ferry Road.

Red Rock Developments, a real estate investment company based in Columbia, South Carolina, is planning to construct six speculative buildings ranging in size from 1.2 million square feet to 168,480 square feet on several parcels of land near Chewy’s fulfillment center at I-85 exit 81. Red Rock would sell or lease the completed buildings to other companies.

The company is planning to build out the project over three phases and is seeking incentives from Rowan County for each phase.

For phase one, Red Rock would invest $117 million to build the largest 1.2 million-square-foot building and the second largest 572,113-square-foot building. Red Rock is requesting the county reimburse the company $4.2 million for needed water, sewer and road improvements in lieu of the traditional level three grant the company would typically qualify to receive under the county’s grant guidelines. The level three grant would be a $3.2 million value. Phase one would be completed as soon as the end of this year.

For phase two, Red Rock would invest $55 million to build two more speculative buildings. The company is requesting a level two grant that would have the county return 80% of new taxes paid for five years. As a result, the county would retain $2.1 million in net tax revenue over a 10-year period from the second phase of the project.

For phase three, Red Rock would invest $26 million to build the remaining two speculative buildings. The company is requesting a level one grant that would have the county return 75% of new taxes paid for five years. Accordingly, the county would retain $1.06 million in net tax revenue over a ten-year period from phase three of the project.

The Board of Commissioners will meet at 3 p.m. in the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Room on the second floor of the Rowan County Administration Building. The meeting can be joined virtually at https://bit.ly/rowanboc3pm by using password 028144 or by phone by dialing 602-753-0140, 720-928-9299 or 213-338-8477.

Commissioners to consider sale of county land for RV dealership

The board will consider accepting an offer from General RV to purchase a 40-acre piece of land at the end of East Ritchie Road near Koontz Elementary School. The company, a recreational vehicle dealer founded in 1966, has offered $2.9 million for the property, well above the land’s appraised value of $1.95 million.

General RV plans to invest $25 million within the next three years to build and open a large recreational vehicle dealership and service center on the property. The company would create 150 full-time jobs over the next three years as part of this project. The jobs would include positions in a variety of fields such as mechanics, sales, finance and administration. According to the company, the average annual salary for these 150 positions is expected to be $65,000.

The Rowan EDC expects the dealership to lead to the creation of 66 indirect and induced jobs that will generate $4,029,689 in annual employee wages and benefits.

Before taking action on the offer, commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding the sale.

Also on the meeting agenda:

Commissioners will consider a request from Chris and Drew Roseman to rezone their 4.52-acre parcel of land at the 5200 block of Bringle Ferry Road from rural agricultural to neighborhood business with a conditional district to operate a general contractor’s business.

A husband and wife living in western Rowan County will make an appeal to the Board of Commissioners for their home address to be changed from 1045 Bronco Run to 140 Warren Drive. According to address records, Doris and William Christie’s address was changed in 2016 when a road naming petition was submitted for a private drive off Warren Drive. The Christies apparently signed the petition supporting the naming of this new private road to “Bronco Run” and were subsequently assigned an address of 1045 Bronco Run. In a letter addressed to commissioners, Doris Christie says the couple has always used 140 Warren Drive as their address and never 1045 Bronco Run.

The address disparity became an issue when two recent calls for emergency service were received and caused confusion in response efforts.

The Christies appealed to the address program administrator to have their address changed from Bronco Run to Warren Drive. The appeal was denied. The Christies are now appealing that decision in hopes that commissioners will rule in their favor.

Commissioners will consider a request from Sheriff Kevin Auten to offer incentives to “attract and retain” detention officers at the Rowan County Detention Center. The incentives Auten is proposing would be for the 2022 calendar year only. He proposes a “perfect attendance bonus” to staff who do not “call out” or leave early from a shift without prior written approval. The bonus would be $50 for the first quarter, $100 for the second, $150 for the third and $200 for the fourth. Auten also proposes allotting $500 per month to purchase snacks and beverages for detention center staff to consume while on duty ending on June 30. Additionally, he is proposing making meals provided to inmates made available to detention center staff free of charge while they are on duty.

The board will consider granting approval to the city of Salisbury to use West End Plaza for satellite parking during the Cheerwine Festival on May 21. Visitors will use public transportation as a mobility option during the festival.

About Ben Stansell

Ben Stansell covers business, county government and more for the Salisbury Post. He joined the staff in August 2020 after graduating from the University of Alabama. Email him at ben.stansell@salisburypost.com.

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