It’s becoming very popular for businesses to want to locate and expand in Guilford County.
The Rhino Times isn’t aware of any time this century that Guilford County government has announced, on the same day, two new businesses coming to the county; but that’s what happened on Monday, May 6.
The county made the announcements because the commissioners have to, by law, schedule a public hearing that allows residents to voice their opinions before the board votes to grant the incentives package.
The second announcement of a new $27 million mystery project bringing 80 new jobs to the area came just hours after an announcement of a $30 million investment adding 40 jobs at a site in southern Greensboro.
The second announcement, like the first, kept the name of the company and the nature of its business a mystery. It’s being called “Project Mercury,” and, whatever that company is, it will get $373,855 in economic development incentives from the county’s taxpayers after the commissioners vote on the matter following the Thursday, May 16 Public Hearing.
According to the public notice, the company “is considering a location at 3617 McConnell Road in Greensboro in addition to other options within the United States for a projected investment of $26,940,000 in a new facility and the creation of eighty (80) new jobs by December 31, 2027.”
The McConnell Road address is a high-end Industrial development with quick access to the I-85/I-40 corridor and the Greensboro Urban Loop. The three buildings on the site, totaling 364,850 square feet, are marketed as “ideal for manufacturing and distribution.”
Whenever these types of incentives requests make it this far in the process, it means the deal is a done deal and Guilford County will get the business.
As with the other company that was announced earlier on the same day, this company must act like it’s considering other locations since legally this is an incentives package.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting containing the two hearings will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. It will be held in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Court House at 301 W. Market St. in Greensboro.
The company is additionally requesting state and other local incentives “before making a location decision.”
The county and other government bodies check to see that the businesses have done what they promised or the companies aren’t entitled to the incentives or are entitled to only a portion of what was granted.
This reads as if this construction is based on speculation. Like a spec house.
There is a spec warehouse at W. Market & Guilford College Rd. It has been completed since last year. Plenty of spaces still available.
“project mercury”: they will remove the mercury etc that them put in our ‘top of watershed’ drinking? water.
Curious that this announcement for Project Mercury comes essentially on the anniversary of Alan Shepard’s manned flight into space. On May 5, 1961, he was the second person and first American to launch into space. This launch was a victory for America’s Project Mercury.
A lot of vacant land in Summerfield for future business opportunities. Developers should look there, as well as a future site for low income housing.