15 Tennessee Communities To Receive Site Development Grants

Site Development Grants totaling $5.7 million will be awarded to 15 Tennessee communities to prepare economic development sites for market. The Site Development Grant program is part of the state’s larger Rural Economic Development Fund.

“We want to help our rural communities build capacity and be ready for investment and economic success, and through the Site Development Grant program, all 15 communities will be able to succeed and grow,” said Gov. Bill Haslam. “We’ve embraced change in our approach to workforce readiness with programs like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect, and we want to congratulate all 15 communities on receiving these grants. I look forward to seeing each thrive and bring new business to our state.”

site development grants
The Site Development Grant program is part of Tennessee’s larger Rural Economic Development Fund, announced by Governor Bill Haslam in October 2015. (Photo credit: Tim Barber /Times Free Press)

The grants will assist communities in finalizing infrastructure and engineering improvements for project-ready certified sites. The grants are intended to help rural communities overcome barriers to site certification and prepare them to receive and economic development project. The Site Development Grant program works in cooperation with the department’s Select Tennessee Site Certification program.

“Site certification is really site elimination,” said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. “Rural Tennessee communities already compete for jobs and investment and do quite well. We want to help them up their game and increase their close rate by making our rural county site inventory among the most attractive and project ready in the world.”

“Through this investment, we expect to see more opportunities and deal flow in rural Tennessee by assisting communities in overcoming obstacles for certification or by improving a Certified Site,” added Assistant Commissioner for Rural Development Amy New. “We want to partner with communities to complete the finishing touches on their sites so that we see more gold shovels tossing the ceremonial dirt.”

An advisory committee made up of staff from the department, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture selected the 15 sites from a pool of 24 applications. The application process was competitive, with grants awarded based on benefit to the community, economic impact and projected return on investment.

The grants awarded were:

  • Brownsville I-40 Advantage, $500,000: Extension of 1600 linear feet of water line and boring under the railroad tracks to close the loop in the system along the bypass
  • Centerville Shipps Bend Industrial Site, $310,650: Construction of access road and new wastewater line to the property
  • Coffee County IB Joint Industrial Park, $163,350: Clearing of 16.5 acres of the 48.62 acre Select TN site
  • Dresden IDB Pad Ready Site, $290,700: Paving of the access road to allow the property to be easily accessible and more appealing to industrial prospects
  • Gibson County Industrial Site South, $495,000: Relocation of 69kV transmission lLine which splits the property
  • Humboldt Gibson County Industrial Site North, $356,400: Extension of 3200 linear feet of 12 inch water main
  • Lawrence County JECDB Team Lawrence Commerce Park East and West, $309,985: Widen and develop County Farm Road to meet state industrial access requirements and create better access
  • Montgomery County IDB County Corporate Business Park, $212,264: Clearing of approximately 70 acres of trees that will allow for both better access to the central part of the site and increase interest through preliminary land work being completed
  • Pulaski Industrial Park South Lot 5, $357,300: Extension of 2500 linear feet of sewer line
  • Ripley Walker East Industrial Park, $485,459: Construction of 1000 linear feet of frontage road and the widening of Highland Street to include a third lane for turning onto the highway
  • Roane County IDB Jones Road Site, $356,072: Clearing and grading for a building pad to accommodate a minimum 100,000 square foot building
  • Shelbyville 23 North Business Park (Commerce Business Park), $500,000: Construction of paved two lane industrial access road with utilities and park sign
  • Tiptonville Lake County Industrial Site at Cates Landing, $500,000: Construction of wastewater lagoon improvements and the installation of approximately 18,000 linear feet of 12-inch force main
  • Union City Northwest Tennessee Regional Industrial Center, $450,000: Grading of approximately 15.5 acres to create a pad ready site for a 105,000 square foot building that is expandable to 200,000 square feet
  • Washington County Telford, $473,405: Grading of the 21.7-acre site to accommodate a 150,000 square foot facility

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