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NEW HANOVER COUNTY – Commissioners on Monday will consider selling land in the northern part of the county, with the option of adding additional parcels to the future buyer.
Staff, along with Wilmington Business Development, are recommending that the board approve the purchase of 6.25 acres of land in the Blue Clay Business Park, 4.5 miles from I-40, from LAS Properties LLC, affiliated with Francini Inc.
Read more: Another developer enters the game in search of NHC’s Project Grace
Frannini’s is an importer and distributor of natural stone – granite, marble, quartz, vitreous, soapstone, porcelain, limestone and more – located on Landmark Drive in Wilmington.
In the year Founded in 1994, the company is headquartered in California with two locations in the West and other locations in Salt Lake City, Boise, Denver and Houston, as well as two North Carolina locations in Kernerville and Raleigh.
The move will mark the county-owned park’s first tenant. The Wilmington Business Journal reported that MCO Transportation sought to purchase 12 acres of land in August. However, the sale was never successful.
The county intends to sell the 120 acres in the park instead of leasing it.
If approved by Monday’s vote, the deal will come with a four-year option for Francini to purchase 7.06 additional acres.
“The county has given this buyer the option to expand their business in the park in Section 2 on a different schedule than their expansion,” explained county spokeswoman Jessica Loper. “This was necessitated by the restrictive covenants placed on the business park, particularly the time frame for construction to begin after the property was purchased.”
Before any work begins, land buyers must submit a concept plan to the county review board — the county manager, chief strategy officer, chief facilities and maintenance officer, director of planning and CEO of Wilmington Business Development. After approval, complete construction should begin within 12 months of two years from the date of purchase.
The land is being sold for $40,000 per acre, with a total of $250,000 for the initial purchase.
This provision requires the county to pursue an upset bid. A 10-day process is required by general law for the sale of county-owned property.
When the offer is accepted, the buyer will require a deposit of 5% of the bid or $12,500. After signing the purchase contract, the buyer has 90 days to return and refund the money.
Within 10 days after the announcement of the bid, anyone can offer a different price with a minimum of 10% of the first $1,000 and the remaining 5%. If bids that meet additional requirements are not received, staff will be directed to accept the original proposal.
At this point, it’s unclear what Francini will do with the property, though Loper confirmed that it will include a building and attached parking lot to expand local operations.
A Frannini employee directed the Port City Daily to Wilmington Business Development for more information. However, the response to the comment was not returned by the press.
Construction of Blue Clay Business Park is proposed by WBD in 2021. The nonprofit group works with local government officials, community leaders and business professionals to drive economic growth. WDD CEO Scott Satterfeid told PCD two years ago that he was receiving requests from companies to use the land, but needed the proper infrastructure before any entity could get there.
In the year In 2021, New Hanover County provided $3.6 million of the $45 million in U.S. grant funding for water and sewer at the Blue Clay Business Park.
The construction of the infrastructure has not yet been put out for contract bidding. Estimated budget is $2.3 million. The goal is to have the work completed by fall, according to internal county emails.
A Jan. 20 letter from the Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority to New Hanover County indicates that the commercial park’s capacity will equal 101,090 gallons of water per day and 88,880 gallons per day of sewage.
There are 85 developable acres of land within the industrial zone, and the full build-out can support 875,000 square feet of facilities. In November, the county hired Rooms Farm Service for $5,500 to spruce up the property and make it more attractive to tenants.
Blue Clay Business Park is one of the few projects that will boost the expected growth in the port city. While the county’s population has grown 10 percent over the past decade, NCDOC’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division’s total workforce has grown 12 percent — from 107,987 to 120,839, according to the NHC’s 2022 economic activity plan. It also showed more than 41,000 workers commute to New Hanover County every day from neighboring cities.
“New Hanover County is the only county in North Carolina with both interstate highways and railroads from its port and airport properties, as well as coastal waterway access. Therefore, increased import/export markets provide opportunities for New Hanover County to recruit companies in the growing business sectors described above.” The report stated.
Commissioners in October approved a 50-acre donation of land and timber from Sidbury for another commercial park on Holly Shelter Road — less than 5 miles from Blue Clay. Water and sewer will reach the property in 2026 and access roads will be built three years later.
Another $145,000 was allocated in October for a master plan study for the future Holly Shelter Park. The county has the option to purchase up to 200 additional acres, 50-acre parcels at a time.
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