Person County, NC, Advances Megasite

September 21, 2020

Person County Mega Park Location in North Carolina

Person County, NC, continues to do the work of risk elimination and site readiness to meet the advanced timelines of economic development projects in a post-COVID economy.

On September 15, 2020, the US Army Corps of Engineers officially issued a permit for grading and site preparation at the Person County Mega Park, a 1,350-acre, NC Certified megasite located in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina.

“Our Economic Development team began the work of pursuing this regulatory authorization more than two years ago,” said Person County Economic Development Director Sherry Wilborn. “Our leadership understood that we could have all the right components in place on the site, but without this approval, we would not be able to meet the construction schedules for large-scale development which industry calls for in a globally competitive market.”

Site analysts have called the Person County Mega Park globally unique in terms of its power capacity as a result of multiple 230kV electric transmission lines able to serve the site, providing redundant, high-capacity power. Through support from Duke Energy, multiple site evaluation consultants have reviewed the site, first through the Duke Site Readiness Program, followed by a later evaluation by CH2M.

“Duke Energy is proud to support the economic development efforts at the Person County Mega Site,” said John Nelms, senior economic development manager, Duke Energy. "With this significant permit in hand, we will continue working with local and regional partners to bring more jobs and investment to Person County.”

Earlier in 2020, waterline construction, providing a capacity of more than 2MGD, was completed to the site with support from a Rural ReadySites grant through NC Commerce. Other work done on the site includes 288-strands of dark fiber constructed to the site by Person County, as well as design and permitting for all other infrastructure improvements. The NC Certified designation means that the site has met the 31 prerequisites of that program, including environmental and geotechnical studies.

“Person County leaders have worked diligently on plans for a certified megasite that will attract future businesses and bring new jobs to North Carolina,” said Kenny Flowers, assistant secretary for rural economic development at the N.C. Department of Commerce.  “The $1.6 million investment from the state’s Rural Ready Site Development Program is leveraging local and federal funding to equip the Person County Mega Park with the modern infrastructure growth-minded companies seek.”

Person County EDC Chairman, Phillip Allen, added, “The receipt of the permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers is a significant milestone in the life of this project. Person County will continue to be persistent as we move forward with the next steps on this project. We have had many outstanding partners along the way, and we will continue to work hard to meet the needs for further economic development in our community.”

To learn more about Person County and the Person County Mega Park, visit the webpage on this site.

Person County is a part of the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina with proximity to the Piedmont Triad Region and is a border county to Virginia. Person County Economic Development serves as the primary contact for business and industry seeking to locate or expand in Person County. Contact us today for available buildings, sites, or other information.


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