March 20, 2006
Make way for a megasite
Sumter, Lee and Clarendon hope to lure large-scale industries
By SHARRON HALEY
Item Staff Writer
shaley@theitem.com
Phone: 803-435-8511
Live Article
MANNING — South Carolina is home to two "megasite" industrial parks: one on Interstate 77 between Columbia and Charlotte, the other on Interstate 20 near North Augusta.
Officials in Clarendon, Lee and Sumter counties would like to make it three.
Typical industrial parks can provide space for manufacturing facilities and a few industries, while megasites have the capability of accommodating large-box warehouse and distribution centers as well as the smaller supply industries and spin-off companies needed for the larger operations.
The development boards in Clarendon, Sumter and Lee counties are hoping to attract some of the larger industries and companies who need the additional acreage to a regional megasite industrial park at Interstate 95 and S.C. 527.
"A megasite opens the door for the larger companies," said Jeff Burgess, executive director of the Lee County Development Board. "Our largest park is about 242 acres. A warehouse or distribution center with a 500,000-square-foot facility will eat up that space in no time."
A megasite on I-95 with interstates 20, 77 and 26 within close proximity would be a prime location for a distribution center, officials say.
Jim Kepner, president of the Sumter Development Board, said a megasite on I-95 could become a free trade zone similar to that on I-26 outside Charleston.
"The potential is there," Kepner said. "Companies want the four-lane access. A megasite on I-95 will give them four-lane access to three other interstates as well."
Kepner said megasites offer the flexibility to provide smaller parcels to smaller industries while leaving the larger acreage for the bigger operations.
"A megasite is something we don't have in this area," Kepner said. "We all see the potential."
According to John Truluck, executive director of the Clarendon County Development Board, the county owns 99 acres on I-95 at S.C. 527 for a regional industrial park with an option to purchase more than 1,100 additional acres. More than 4,000 acres of undeveloped property are adjacent to the optioned property, making enlargement of the industrial park a possibility.
"A megasite is an investment up-front," Truluck said last week when addressing Clarendon County Council. "It's taken the county more than 25 years to develop just half of the county's 450-acre industrial park. Do we have that long to wait? No."
According to Truluck, a megasite has the potential to begin reaping benefits almost immediately.
"We have the work force in the three counties to support a megasite," he said. "The three counties, by working together, have the resources to establish a megasite."
Completing the first phase of a megasite at the I-95 location would cost about $1.4 million, with more than half the funds already accounted for through grants, he said. The remainder could also be funded by grants.
Phase 1 of the megasite would consist of supplying water and sewer to the site and building 1,000 feet of roadway, Truluck said.
"With grant cycles, we'll know by July 1 for sure what we are dealing with in terms of funding for the remainder of the project," he said. "We're trying to whittle that $1.4 million down, but by July 1 we'll know more."
Truluck said getting the megasite totally functional would cost about $12 million, but the project could be done in phases as companies located in the park and as the need arose to purchase more land.
"Marlboro, Marion and Dillon counties are ahead of us," Truluck said. "They have an industrial park on I-95, but it's only about 300 to 400 acres in size. They split the upfront cost with the revenue split 30/30/30/10, with 10 percent used for operational expenses."
Regionalization is the only way industrial parks will receive funding, Truluck said.
"By combining resources with the other two counties, we have a bigger voice when it comes to grants and we have a bigger work force to pull from," he said. "The megasite is a win-win-win for all three counties."
