The Guilford County Economic Development Alliance (GCEDA) is working with Greensboro-based consulting firm the Timmons Group to identify overlooked sites in Guilford County that can be used for future development. GCEDA is attempting to get those sites recorded and in the pipeline to enhance economic growth in the coming years.

GCEDA is expected to disclose more details regarding the effort – meant to assure an adequate supply of available land for major development projects – before the end of the year.

Greensboro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Christensen and High Point Economic Development Corp. President Loren Hill take turns annually leading the economic development group and they both say this move should help assure an adequate supply of sites for companies that want to relocate to, or expand in, Guilford County.

“We’re looking for sites that could be future sites,” Christensen said.

He said the more large sites Guilford County has to show prospects the better.

GCEDA is not actually purchasing the land or attempting to make it shovel ready, but is instead attempting to find potential sites and then engaging in conversations with the owners – or in many cases multiple owners – to see if they’re interested in selling that land should a prospect want to use it.

Hill said that would give area economic development officials a good idea of how to proceed.

“If a land owner says, ‘No, I’m never going to sell,” then you don’t deal with that property and you move on,” Hill said.

He said the new initiative is meant to “identify places that aren’t currently developed but are next tier.”

According to Hill, GCEDA is looking for medium to large acreage sites that are suitable for zoning categories most needed by prospects. He said the goal is to find sites that “could be ready quickly.”

One necessary criteria, Hill said, is that power and other infrastructure could be provided to the site in a reasonable amount of time.

Hill said the county attracts a wide range of prospective clients so the group is looking for parcels of a variety of sizes.