Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation

Industrial park plans unveiled

May 29, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer. Two new business parks planned in Henry County should be able to meet the site needs of 90 percent of prospective industries, a local economic developer said Thursday when master plans for the parks were released.

Property will be available to accommodate companies of various sizes. And, there will be tracts large enough to accommodate extremely large industries for which the area lacks adequate sites, said Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC).

That should give Henry County-Martinsville an advantage at attracting businesses and industries over many other communities, Heath said.

Master plans for Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre and an expansion of the Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek were unveiled Thursday night during a joint meeting of county, city and EDC officials.

At the meeting were members of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, Martinsville City Council, Henry County Industrial Development Authority, Patriot Centre Advisory Board and EDC Board of Directors.

Commonwealth Crossing will be developed on a 720-acre parcel — formerly known as the Roma property — next to U.S. 220 near the North Carolina line. Due to traffic patterns, the main entrance is to be in that state on Spencer Road, which becomes Horsepasture-Price Road when it crosses into Virginia, the plan shows.

The Patriot Centre expansion will be on a 1,200-acre site — formerly known as the Bryant property — along Barrows Mill Road behind the existing park. Nautica Way is to be extended across Barrows Mill to Terry’s Mountain Road to serve most lots in the expanded park, the master plan reveals.

In 2007, the county bought the two properties for a total of more than $4.4 million.

Wiley & Wilson of Lynchburg developed the Commonwealth Crossing plan. The Timmons Group of Richmond prepared the Patriot Centre plan.

The plans will show prospective industries that “we can accommodate their needs today, tomorrow and in the future ... in a very crowded, competitive world” of economic development, Heath said.

Two options were developed for Commonwealth Crossing’s master plan.

One option shows five lots that can be built upon, comprising 400 acres of “pad” — the area suitable for construction. The other option shows four lots comprising 414 acres of pad. On the latter option, two of the lots have been combined along with a small strip of land between them.

The largest pad on the first option is 125 acres. The largest pad on the second option is 177 acres. Twelve lots are shown on the master plan for the Patriot Centre expansion. The lots cover a total of 318 pad acres. Lot 10 has the most pad acres at 99.4, and two of the lots — referred to as 1A and 1B — could be combined for a total of 78.7 acres of pad, the plan indicates.

County and EDC officials said lots in either park can be reconfigured to meet the needs of companies interested in locating there.

“As the needs of industry change over time, you need flexibility” in plans for development, said Tim Wagner, project engineer for Wiley & Wilson.

Heath said Commonwealth Crossing could be reconfigured to house only one extremely large company if officials determined that was appropriate.

The Patriot Centre expansion has enough land to accommodate more than 12 companies, said County Engineer Tim Pace.

Plans show both Commonwealth Crossing and the Patriot Centre expansion would be done in three phases.

At Commonwealth Crossing, the first phase involves the lots closest to U.S. 220 and the railroad. Phases 2 and 3 would cover smaller lots on the other side of Patterson Branch, which basically divides the property.

The first phase of development at the Patriot Centre expansion, its master plan shows, would be on tracts along Barrows Mill Road, followed by Phase II which includes much of the Bryant property, and Phase 3 which includes land not actually specified by the plan for lots.

Officials said, though, that Phases 1, 2 and 3 may not be developed in that order, depending on where a company wants to locate in the parks.

Master plans, Heath said, are intended to show “the best use of the land.”

The county and EDC do not yet have firm estimates on how much it will cost to develop Commonwealth Crossing and the Patriot Centre expansion.

But it will take “tens of millions of dollars” during the next 10 to 15 years, Heath said.

Funding from sources such as the Virginia Tobacco Commission, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and U.S. Economic Development Administration might can be obtained to use with local funds in developing the parks, officials said.

“Obviously, we want to go after as much grant money as we can get,” said County Administrator Benny Summerlin.

Commonwealth Crossing’s location near the North Carolina line should lure companies needing relatively quick access to Interstates 40 and 85 and the Piedmont Triad International Airport, as well as the planned Interstate 73 which would run through Henry County, according to officials.

By not making the Patriot Centre extension a separate industrial park, the county will “build on ... the momentum” of the companies now in the park’s section between Barrows Mill and Kings Mountain roads, said Rick Thomas, a principal executive with the Timmons Group.