Kingsboro Business Park in Edgecombe County (Between Rocky Mount and Tarboro) (Morehead City: apartment complexes, rentals)

[kee1992]

A lot of things are going on in Edgecombe and Nash Counties, other than the crime, and i feel it don't get talked about on this forum enough, all i see is the negative about Rocky Mount and it's surrounding areas. With CSX building it's connector, DMV headquarters moving to Rocky Mount, Triangle Tire building it's first plant in North America, Corning warehouse almost being complete, and the Rocky Mount Mills, the area is about to see a boom. I'm 27 years old and i never thought i would see this in this area in my lifetime.. I dont even see nothing about this stuff in the Coastal section, and its more going on in Edgecombe and Nash counties than there are in any other county in Eastern NC other than Pitt maybe, and most of their growth is because of ECU... All Im saying is, put some respect on the Twin Counties!!!!!!


Here are two article posted yesterday on the Rocky Mount Telegram.

Kingsboro site draws rising interest

Article from the Telegram: http://=http://www.rockymounttelegra...-interest.html

After marketing the Kingsboro Industrial Park as a site for industry for nearly two decades, the Carolinas Gateway Partnership is changing direction.
“As we talked with prospects about a variety of options, it became clear that what Kingsboro is heading toward is a multi-use development,” partnership President and CEO Norris Tolson said. “So we’ve started marketing it as the Kingsboro Business Park.”
Both Tolson and partnership Vice President Oppie Jordan said the response has been strong.
“It’s been tremendous,” Tolson said.
He said in addition to solid industrial prospects, such as the steel cable supplier for Triangle Tire, other non-industrial prospects are emerging.
“We reserved 20 acres at the Kingsboro exit for a travel plaza-type operation and we’ve gotten strong interest in that location,” he said.
Tolson said that as he and Jordan have talked with prospects, they have told them they wanted them to think outside the box as they developed their proposals.
“We’ve seen some interesting concepts,” Tolson said.
Tolson said there also has been interest from lodging chains and that two sites have been identified — one a traveler-type facility nearer to the Kingsboro exit and the second a suites-type facility nearer U.S. 64 Alt. and between Corning and Triangle.
“We’ve also had interest from multi-use developers as well as developers talking about building apartments and condos,” he said.
Tolson said the housing interest is vital.
“Currently, we have something less than 400 units (available) in Edgecombe and Nash counties and we’re already behind. We have one developer who has asked about land west of Kingsboro and is talking about building houses that would serve that (manufacturing employee) market … 1,500 to 2,000 square feet,” he said. “We also (are) encouraged that a couple of people are looking at (two- and three-bedroom) apartment complexes and garden duplexes (nearer to Corning).”
Tolson said the possibility of mixed-use developments, including office buildings, also exist.
Counting QVC, Corning and Triangle, Tolson said, “We’re looking at something like 4,000 or more people out there and eating options are limited, so we started asking for proposals from potential operators ... again, asking to think out of the box.”
Tolson said they could not be more pleased with what prospects have provided.
He cited one “food plaza” made up of shipping containers. The containers were arranged around the property with seating areas and areas for workers to relax while on a meal break.
“He even included an amphitheater,” Tolson said. “I don’t know that we would ever have an amphitheater, but it is the kind of out-of-the-box thinking we are looking for.”
Tolson said once the training facility, to be located at the corner of Harts Mill Run Road and U.S. 64 Alt is operational, “There’s going to be a lot of high-tech going on and we want to be on the cutting edge at Kingsboro.”
The new approach to Kingsboro is so out-of-the box that Tolson said there even has been discussion about developing the area north of the park that runs along the Tar River as an ecotourism site.
“Why not canoe rentals and tours on the river?” he asked. “There is a lot of activity on the river, so why not look at ways to incorporate it near the park?”
He said he wants to be able to offer enough amenities and site benefits that it simply would not make sense to not locate in the Kingsboro Business Park.
He also is quick to point out that all of the activity in the county is tied to one thing — the decision by CSX to build its CSX Connector container freight facility in Rocky Mount.
“That opened the door to the world for us,” he said. “The day after we announced CSX, our phones started ringing and people were asking, ‘Where’s Edgecombe County?’ And it’s all because of CSX.”



Work continues at Kingsboro site

Article from the Telegram: [url=http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/News/2019/10/01/Work-continues-at-Kingsboro-site.html[/url]

Work continues at what is now being called the Kingsboro Business Park.
While Triangle Tire has yet to start construction, Company Chairman Ding Mu is taking the same hands-on approach as his father, the late Ding Yuhua, who died June 13, 2018.
“He’s just gone back (to China) after spending two weeks here,” Carolinas Gateway Partnership Norris Tolson told the Telegram. “He hired an operations manager who will move here. The CFO (of Triangle Tire USA) is in Tennessee and he will be here on a more regular basis.”
Tolson said Ding remains committed to the project, which is in a slowed mode because of trade difficulties between the United States and China.
“They are in the process of selecting a contractor, but I don’t know when they will pull the trigger on construction,” Tolson said. “They have told us that they are going to build this plant.”
Triangle will employ 800 people in Phase I and another 400 when Phase II opens.
Tolson added that he is hopeful of getting construction started on the Golden LEAF-funded training facility to be located at the corner of Hart’s Mill Run Road.
The Golden LEAF Foundation has committed the money, which will be administered by the county, and Barnhill completed site work months ago.
Tolson said the site for what will eventually be a four-plant, 5 million-square-foot facility is ready to go.
Tolson said Barnhill Construction has completed all of the site work and is now continuing to develop the access road, which will connect to Kingsboro Road between U.S. 64 and U.S. 64 Alt and U.S. 64 Alt. across from New Hope Church Road.
“We’re building a two-lane structure on a four-lane bed to accommodate our needs at the outset and we can expand it (to four lanes) as needed,” he said.
To the north of the Triangle site, the structure that will become Corning’s Edgecombe County warehouse and distribution center has risen from what was once cotton fields.
The Corning facility is 800,000 square feet and initially will be served only by trucks, although Tolson thinks there may come a day when a rail spur is extended across U.S. 64 Alt.
“The impressive thing about that facility is that they built the walls on site,” he said. “When we come to Tarboro, I would come in that way to see what had happened. One day, I went by and they had a few (wall) panels up. Five days later, I came back by and they had all of the walls up. It was very impressive.”
Corning, which will employ 111 full-time and have about 35 contractors on site, is running four-to-six weeks ahead of schedule.
“They will be operational in the first quarter,” Tolson said.
While waiting on Triangle’s construction to start, Tolson is recruiting.
He said he knows not all of Triangle’s suppliers will come to Kingsboro.
“We can’t get the rubber supplier because we don’t grow rubber in America, but we’re talking with their steel cable supplier. Nothing is signed yet, but we’re working to get them here. The rubber will come into Norfolk or Morehead City and come here by rail.”
Tolson said the proximity to the CSX line is meaningful, as Triangle has said they anticipate shipping between 500 and 700 containers a month. Because of existing rail traffic, the line is built with 140-pound rail, which is the heaviest available and can accommodate whatever needs to be delivered to or moved away from the site.
The rail spur and sidings will be built by contractors to CSX standards and paid through a grant with the North Carolina Railroad. The spur, which was initially designed to serve only Triangle, will be built to accommodate two other plants.
“There is so much potential and so much interest,” Tolson said. “It’s an exciting time.”