Latest news with #EconomicDevelopmentAuthority
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
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Col. Co. leaders start plans for new data center and technology park in Appling
APPLING, Ga. (WJBF) – With a rise in cyber technology, Columbia County leaders are starting to work on plans to bring a data center to Appling. After recent discussions about ways to improve the county, Economic Development Authority Director Cheney Eldridge says they saw the need for a data center. 'Anything you do on the internet runs through a data center, so they're very important to have—not just for the country, but here in this community,' said Eldridge. County leaders have sent a rezoning application for almost 2000 acres near Morris Callaway Road. They're working with Trammel Crow, a commercial real estate firm out of Atlanta. 'They came to us when we were looking at this piece of property, and have really been with us the whole time working together through a public-private partnership. They're simply an intermediary between us and whoever would come in and locate within this park,' said Eldridge. She says they strategically picked that location, as nearby White Oak Business Park hosts operations for Club Car and Amazon's fulfillment center. 'I think it's important to keep all of these together, because the last thing we want is a splattered amount of projects all over. Industrial, a data center, or even an office park. You want to keep things together just like you want residential together,' Eldridge said. They are not planning on the data center to be an extension of White Oak Business Park, but workers will use that area to access the building. 'Access will come through the business park, and they'll access the property that way,' the director added. 'They'll come off of the highway as opposed to coming off of Morris Callaway.' The idea is to hire network engineers to operate at the center—what the authority hopes is a golden opportunity to create more jobs for those coming from Augusta University and Fort Eisenhower. 'Right now, a lot of the folks that are coming out of Fort Eisenhower are not able to find the right job that meets their skills. What we will have with this data center park is plenty of jobs that are exactly what we have coming out of Fort Eisenhower, and through the pipeline that we're building,' Eldridge said. The county is still working on costs and timelines with Trammel Crow. But with more jobs and generated tax revenue expected, they see it as a win-win. 'Any time you go on Facebook to look at pictures of your grandchildren, or you want to send a photo of your dog to a friend—you need a data center. It's integral for this country to have this type of infrastructure in place. I see it as an opportunity for this community to benefit from a necessary infrastructure that's going to have to go in any way,' said Eldridge. The county is now waiting on next steps with the developer. The construction timeline will take place over the next several years. 'I think you might see things start in the next few years. But for this size of a piece of property, for it to be fully built out will probably take 20 to 30 years,' Eldridge said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ramsey County: Economic Development Authority to allow flexibility on housing projects
Ramsey County has established an Economic Development Authority, allowing the county to assist small businesses in areas such as technical, advisory services and expansion. The county's Housing Redevelopment Authority previously was only able to fund specifically housing-related projects. With the addition of the EDA, the HRA's levy funding now can be used more broadly, according to District 6 Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong. Small business programming, for example, would be allowed. The creation of the EDA is allowed due an omnibus bill signed last month by Gov. Tim Walz. 'This legislation allows Ramsey County to use the HRA levy more flexibly by expanding what it can fund without adding another tax,' Xiong said in a May 27 statement. 'That means deeper investments in small business support, commercial corridors, workforce infrastructure, and the stability of the neighborhoods we serve. Notably, the passage of the EDA comes at a critical time as counties brace for significant cuts to federal funding to housing, creating high-stakes urgency to stretch every local dollar further and smarter.' City councils in the county who are members of the HRA must opt-in or opt-out of business programming through the passage of resolutions by June. Expanding the HRA's authority supports the county in taking a more modern approach to an affordable housing plan, said Rep. Liz Lee, DFL-St. Paul, who authored the legislation in the Minnesota House. It will allow the county to focus on needs beyond just housing. It could mean affordable housing units above a nonprofit laundromat, Lee said. It will help officials create a community people want to live in, rather than just concentrating those living in poverty into public housing. Mixed-use projects can be challenging to develop across the entire county, said Josh Olson, Ramsey County's director of Community and Economic Development. 'I think the two things that I would say is, this is about flexibility more than anything else. It's about our opportunity to kind of support the community in a proactive but also holistic way.' Olson said. 'The other is, the county is going to remain focused on affordable housing. That is, and has been the lion's share of how we've spent the HRA, and I expect that to not change substantially even with this change in legislation.' The flexibility ties into the county's Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan, with the county focusing on adding affordable housing, redevelopment, businesses and workforce, Olson said. 'We've been in a housing crisis here, nationally, regionally, and we have felt that we still can intend to invest heavily through our multiple uses, but that investing solely in housing or narrowly in housing doesn't get the county out of a housing crisis,' Olson said. 'And so one aspect of that is in that intersection where it supports businesses, and that, in turn, supports job opportunities and job growth as well as wage growth. And so that's really kind of the nexus that links all these things.' The county directed $11.1 million to affordable housing and redevelopment projects as part of the 2022-2023 budget. Air quality alert extended to noon Wednesday throughout Minnesota 'An absolute privilege': Darts President Ann Bailey offers advice, reflects on 10 years in Dakota County aging services Charges to be dismissed in St. Paul sexual assault case Maplewood shooting: St. Paul man fired on car while kids cowered nearby, charges say Police looking for hit-and-run driver who injured 2 pedestrians in Falcon Heights
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Preston County Commission opposes proposed multi-state power line
KINGWOOD, (WBOY) — The Preston County Commission approved a resolution Wednesday opposing the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link project by the NextEra Energy company, which would build a 100-mile extra-high voltage transmission line to help 'strengthen the backbone of the energy grid.' The resolution does not stop the project, but rather is a formal move made by the Preston County Commission to show that it opposes it. Dozens of Preston County residents expressed their concerns over the proposed project, while others said they were for it. NextEra Energy has held several open houses in the past few weeks across West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, where the proposed transmission line would go through. However, some Preston County residents, like Rachel Stevens, said questions still remain about the benefits to Preston County. 'They have answered a lot of my questions, but I still conclude at the end of it that this doesn't serve the people who are affected by the development of the project. That's my ultimate conclusion at this point,' Stevens said. These are the best schools in West Virginia, new 2025 report says 'There's just been nothing that has come to the forefront with dialogue with the Economic Development Authority that would even show anything great coming from this. There's no intention of dropping power into the Hazelton sub-station, there's nothing that could help promote economic development,' Preston County Commissioner Samantha Stone, who is a part of the Economic Development Authority, said during the meeting Commissioner Hunter Thomas was behind the resolution opposing the transmission line and worked on it. 'We're coming at this with opposition right at the right time…the filing deadline is Oct. 1, so if they're going to put the project through West Virginia, they're going to file and that's probably going to be the end of it. So we need to show our opposition and put up as much of a fight so they decide that West Virginia isn't the path of least resistance. West Virginia citizens don't want this going through our area, let's put it through PA, and PA should take the burden of the powerline because they're the ones creating the energy that gets to Virginia,' Thomas said. The commission received a letter from NextEra Energy with more details on what potential economic benefits would come to West Virginia and Preston County if the project goes through the area. In the letter, NextEra Energy's President Evan Yager said that based on the company's preliminary estimates, the line is 'expected to provide anywhere from $150,000,000 to $400,000,000 in incremental tax revenue to West Virginia.' Yager added that the range is dependent on the final route, which will need approval by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, but that if the route passes through Preston County, tax revenue is estimated to be between $50,000,000 and $100,000,000.' Despite the large monetary estimates, the letter does not specify a time period through which the tax revenue funds would come through, an omission that the commissioners focused on. Although the states and counties where the project is proposed to go through have been announced, it is still unknown what path the line will take. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chesapeake's mixed use Great Bridge Marketplace development gets boost
CHESAPEAKE — A grant from Chesapeake's Economic Development Authority will help advance the next expansion of service retail and medical office development at the Great Bridge Marketplace. Last week, Chesapeake council members approved a $150,000 investment grant from the EDA to 520 SB LLC, a retail center located in Great Bridge at 520 South Battlefield Blvd. The grant will boost a project to develop the second phase of the retail center and accommodate six new tenants, including Vino's Italian Restaurant, Boyland Dentistry and Sharkey's Cuts for Kids. The first phase of development brought The Butcher's Son Chophouse, Off the Hook Seafood Restaurant, Xanadu Salon & Color Bar and other businesses to the retail center. The second phase is being developed by Virginia Beach-based Atherton Construction, which also developed Volvo Commons and Great Bridge Commons. The second phase is an estimated $8.1 million investment, and 520 SB LLC touts that it will create at least 34 new jobs with an average salary of $36,000, without benefits, as part of its proposal to expand in the area. As part of the agreement, the grant can't exceed the amount of real estate and business personal property tax paid over a 36-month period once the certificate of occupancy is issued. Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133,
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newport News approves 620-unit housing development at Endview Plantation
Newport News City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to rezone a vacant lot at 350 Yorktown Road to make room for a 620-unit housing development on the historic Endview Plantation. The proposed Parkside at Endview is a roughly 282-acre project sits near the city's border with York County along Yorktown Road, Jefferson Avenue and Crafford Road. It will consist of 393 detached single-family homes and 182 townhomes, according to a planning document. The site will also include nearly 32,000 square feet for commercial space and 125 acres of planned open space, including new trails that will connect to Newport News Park, according to a February memorandum of agreement. The property is currently by Newport News' Economic Development Authority and is covered by a forest. The land is also occupied by the Endview House and outbuildings, which are on the National Registrar of Historic Places and will continue to be open to the public. Chesapeake approves $20M bond for Landmark Apartments' affordable housing renovations Virginia Beach housing grant program aims to increase affordable options Historic Garden Week shows history, beauty of Hampton Roads, Eastern Shore with rare tours Norfolk considers loosening requirements for homeowners to add on rental units 60,000 Americans to lose their rental assistance and risk eviction unless Congress acts The site is one of the oldest structures in Newport News and dates back to the 1760s. It also served as a Confederate hospital and headquarters during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Grady Palmer, an attorney who has worked on the project for roughly four years, said during an April 2 Planning Commission meeting that pending approval, a memorandum of understanding would help the property work to preserve and bring awareness to the historic site. 'There's a series of signage, reporting and obligations that the development will have for the life of the project that will help preserve, protect and promote the historical awareness of Endview,' Palmer said during Tuesday's council presentation. 'It's a fantastic project that emphasizes home ownership opportunities in the city of Newport News.' The project is a joint venture between the Economic Development Authority, D.R. Horton, and WeldenField of Virginia. However, some residents worried about the project's traffic impacts. Manuel Ankrom, who lives less than a half mile from the plantation's entrance, said he already sees vehicle congestion, especially tour busses, near his home, and doesn't want major construction to further disrupt already severe traffic. 'The project sounds decent, but what it's going to do, it's going to be problematic and create congestion for all people from out of state that come to visit Yorktown,' Ankrom said during the meeting. As part of a proffer agreement, the developers will complete a series of transportation improvements detailed in a traffic impact analysis study from 2022. Those recommendations include turn lanes on Jefferson Avenue and Yorktown Road and an additional site entrance on Crafford Road. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
