Project Legacy Update

Anson and Stanly Give Legacy Regional Support

On July 13 Stanly County became the fifth local government to endorse Project Legacy. Stanly joins Anson, Wingate, Marshville, and Stallings in working to help bring Project Legacy to life.

With the support of these two counties, it is now clear that communities in the region beyond Union County believe a project like Legacy Business Park can bring economic prosperity beyond its own borders. These demonstrations of support are also reflective of the power of collaboration. As one County Commissioner put it recently, “Sometimes being a good neighbor is just the right thing to do”. The pursuit of regional endorsements for Project Legacy will continue, but right now our sincere thanks go to the leadership of our neighboring counties for their vision, their confidence and their generous support.

CSX Becomes Partner and Ally

From the beginning we identified rail service as a key piece of the Legacy vision. This one feature gives Legacy a unique twist. Pressure is increasing nationwide to expand freight rail service as one way to alleviate highway congestion. CSX saw the potential of Legacy and has become a valued ally and partner. We are working closely with them to help make it possible for rail facilities to work at Legacy. As we would for any recruiting effort, we are also paying close attention to what CSX is telling us they might need. For example demonstrating community support for a project of this magnitude is particularly important to CSX.

Monroe By-Pass Will Be Critical

• Interstate Highway Connections — will be critical to a major business park like Project Legacy. Current evidence suggests the Turnpike Authority will be on target with a Monroe By-pass completion date of 2013 . (Click on map at right to see large version)

• Legacy Parkway — will connect the park to the By-Pass. Discussions are underway with NCDOT. We are finalizing an RFP for a traffic study that will define the phasing of road improvements throughout the proposed site.

• Land Acquisition— is the one thing truly unique about Legacy planning. A 30-year project cannot be organized in a traditional way. Legacy must have broad public support, so it was decided early-on that landowners should be partners in the planning process. Two group briefings have been held and others are planned. Several landowners have been visited personally. More of that will follow too. This email newsletter will also help keep everyone informed.

• Environmental Impact—has led us to meet with over a dozen engineering firms who want to work on Legacy. We have received two free preliminary environmental assessments — with no strings attached. The N.C. Department of Commerce has offered to help guide this important process.

• Water and Sewer—is no small problem for Union County or Legacy. We kept Union County's new Public Works Director Ed Goscicki informed about this project even before he his first day on the job. We are coordinating closely with him, his staff, and our good friends in Anson County on the best way to provide utilities to Legacy. We are determined to expedite finding the best solution.

• Now Is The Time — There is no better time to put this kind of transformational project in motion. The timing of the economic recovery is on our side. While others debate the prudence of pushing projects in this economic environment, we are putting a project in place. When the economy turns, we will be ready while others are just beginning.

New Business and Marketing Updates

Website Expanded

We have moved forward with our web site upgrades - www.unioncpp.com. More site search work is done via the web now. It is vital that our information is current and easily accessible. In addition to two new pages on Legacy, the new web site content has more user-friendly features. More web site improvements are planned for the coming year.

Client Activity—Better Than Expected

In spite of the difficult economy, the Partnership team has responded to 74 client inquiries since July 1, 2008.
• 14 projects are still active for Union County
      - 8 are manufacturing
      - Jobs counts range from a handful up to 6,000
      - Prognosis is excellent for 2, good for 2 others

Keeping What We Have - Vital in Tough Times

Our Business Retention & Expansion program continues to look for opportunities.
• Visited 41 existing Union County businesses since July 1, 2008.
• These BR&E efforts led to 3 of the 4 projects noted above.

New and Expanded Business Numbers - Also Better than Expected

• 3 major expansions in Union County
     - AEP in Stallings - $6 million investment for 91,000 sq. ft. warehouse
     - Darnel Inc. in Monroe - $700,000 in machinery and equipment, will add 12 jobs when business improves
     - A third major Union County company is expected to announce shortly that their expansion is under way. The expected announcement should include $3,927,000 in new investment and 17 new jobs.

Improving How We Work - Never More Important

• Our site and building listings have been updated and new entries added to the enhanced Charlotte Regional Partnership site (www.CharlotteUSA.com). Those listings include listings on the NC Department of Commerce site (www.NCCommerce.com). Current Union County listings on both sites include:
     - 38 buildings
     - 33 sites