Industrial parks boost economies
Bea Quirk, Charlotte Business Journal
A slow economy hasn't prevented business parks in Union and York counties from thriving, thanks to both Mecklenburg County's attractions and drawbacks.
"Charlotte is certainly a draw," says Skip Tuttle, prinicpal of Coldwell Banker Commercial/The Tuttle Co. "People want to be near a big city, or their businesses need access to it. And with the widening of I-77, we have great access to Charlotte."
Tuttle's company is one of five investors, including the Rock Hill Economic Development Corp., developing Antrim, a 130-acre business park at Interstate 77 and Dave Lyle Boulevard. Sites in the first phase are being marketed.
Crosland, one of the pioneers of busiesss park development in Charlotte, isn't in the Mecklenburg business park market any more. "All our industrial projects currently online are located outside of Mecklenburg," says Jon Jarrett, vice president of industrial brokerage and development. The firm's first industrial site in Union County is the 225-acre Old Hickory Business Park in Indian Trail, which just completed its first phase.
"We're looking beyond Mecklenburg because of the cost and lack of available land there," Jarrett says. "In Union County, you've got a good employee base, a lower tax rate and affordability."
In York County, Crosland is developing Riverscrossing Business Park near Fort Mill. Also in York, Lakemont, which straddles the state line, is largely developed, but a 100-acre site is available, says Mark Farris, director at the York County Economic Development Board.
Interstate access is a major selling point for Rock Hill's business parks. "I-77's eight lanes gives us access to Charlotte -- the airport and downtown -- that's unparalleled compared to other cities in the region," says Clay Andrews, managing senior vice president for Transwestern Commercial Services. Transwestern is marketing the 68 remaining acres at TechPark, a 200-acre park that's a joint venture between the RHEDC and the city of Rock Hill.
Rock Hill also owns two other parks in partnership with the RHEDC: The 150-acre Airport Industrial Park and the 250-acre Southway Industrial Park. Both were developed in the 1980s and are now full. In 1995, the RHEDC began Waterford, a 700-acre mixed-use park with 300 acres in its business park, as well as residential communities and a golf course. Some lots are available.
The parks "were good partnerships for Rock Hill, and they brought in a lot of business and created new jobs," says Susan Lyle, RHEDC project manager. "The city was extremely active in filling the need, but since others have come into the area, we have not had to rely on the city as much."
RHEDC owns 20% of Antrim. Like TechPark, developers are selling lots primarily to end users, and like Waterford, are not planning or allowing multi-tenant buildings.
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