I-77 Alliance preparing for a game changer

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The South Carolina I-77 Alliance is preparing to market a tract of land in Fairfield County that it is calling the I-77 International Megasite.

Jeannette Goldsmith, vice-president of Strategic Development Group in Columbia, presented recommendations for the site to members of the alliance at the group’s annual economic development summit. The alliance is comprised of business and government leaders from Richland, Fairfield, Chester, York and Lancaster counties.

The site was acquired by Fairfield County in partnership with the S.C. Department of Commerce to be used as a single use facility along the I-77 corridor. The 1,100-acre site is located just past Exit 34 near Winnsboro.

“This site is ideally situated to become the next major economic announcement in the state,” Rich Fletcher, I-77 Alliance president, said. “It has the potential to draw a single user with more than 2,000 jobs that positively impacts all five counties.”

State Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield, called the presentation a message of hope for a county that has seen significant losses over the last year.

“Not only do we have potential, but this site is the best developed, best situated megasite in the Southeast,” Fanning said. “There is an energy in the room. It’s not just Fairfield in the boat, but five counties pushing their chips into a high stakes poker game.”

Fanning said the site could be the game changer for Columbia much the same way BMW was for Greenville/Spartanburg and Boeing for Charleston.

In her presentation, Goldsmith urged the alliance to look for a project that would yield a high capital investment along with high number of jobs.

“The site is currently not ready to be shown to potential prospects,” Goldsmith said. “Fairfield County must have a vision for what they want on the site and put a stake in the ground. They have to make the decision.”

Goldsmith said there are configuration limits currently that make the site unsuitable for an automotive plant footprint, and the county would need to acquire more land. Other recommendations included developing site prep cost, refining utility extension and planning transportation improvements.

Fanning said the county is looking at the layout for automotive but it can also be switched for alternative use.

“There is no commitment to exclusively go for an automotive plant, but it makes sense with Giti Tire in Chester,” Fanning said. “We are open to talk with any industry, put we’re preparing for auto. We have to start making plans.”

On the marketing side, Goldsmith encouraged the alliance to develop an effective way to communicate labor and demographic information along with creating a website and developing good visual images.

“What most impressed me about the site is the future access to labor,” Goldsmith said. “You have a labor force base of two strong metros in Columbia and Charlotte that are growing closer together. The workforce labor picture for the site is the best in South Carolina.”

Fletcher said the alliance is in the process of creating a website to feature the I-77 International Megasite. He expects it to be up within the next two months.