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Cumberland receives $937,600 from Golden LEAF for development project

The money will be used to clear 30 acres on the county-owned Sand Hill Road site, officials say.

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Cumberland County has received $937,600 from the Golden LEAF Foundation that will be used to clear and grade 30 acres on the county-owned Sand Hill Road site.

“We are happy that our partnership with FCEDC continues to benefit our community,” Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon said in a release issued by the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corp. “We look forward to building on this momentum and to the rewarding careers this opportunity will bring to our citizens.”

The Sand Hill Road site consists of 159 acres between Interstate 95 and N.C. 87. It is zoned for industrial use.

“Once complete, this will enable us to market the site as shovel-ready and be able to facilitate projects with aggressive timelines,” Rob Patton, the economic development group’s executive vice president, said in the release. “This grant directly fits into our strategy of developing choice business sites, parks, and buildings that will attract quality employers. We greatly appreciate the county for applying and supporting our efforts.”

The county was awarded the funding through the second round of Golden LEAF’s SITE Program. The program supports communities in identifying potential sites for economic development and provides money to enable the completion of due diligence on sites already identified or to extend public utilities to or conduct rough grading and clearing of sites for which due diligence has been completed, the release said. There are three phases of the program:  identification, due diligence and development.

Cumberland was one of seven counties awarded funding through the development phase, the release said. The funding is used to benefit sites that have completed the due diligence necessary to demonstrate that the site is suitable for development.

“The need for industrial sites, especially in rural areas, was a gap identified in our strategic planning process,” said Don Flow, chairman of the Golden LEAF board of directors. “As we have seen, ready sites are no longer a luxury but a necessity to move at the speed of business. The second round of SITE Program projects will help prepare North Carolina for these economic growth opportunities.”

The foundation’s board of directors awarded more than $5 million for 13 projects through the SITE Program in Moore, Wilkes, Stokes, Martin, Surry, Robeson, Cumberland, Duplin, Onslow, Nash, Person, Rutherford and Columbus counties. 

Cumberland County, Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corp., Golden LEAF Foundation, Sand Hill Road, economic development, business

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