Burke County to unveil collaborative solution at public forum on Great Meadows Megasite

Nine months after the first public unveiling of the controversial multimillion dollar industrial development project known locally as “The Megasite,” the effort to bring a large industry to western Burke County is taking a significant, collaborative, and transparent step forward on Tuesday with an open-discussion public forum.

Beginning at 6 p.m. Aug. 6, in the Burke County Commissioners Board Room at 110 N. Green St. in Morganton, a detailed development plan formed in partnership with property owners, county government, nonprofit environmental groups, and economic development teams will be presented by Burke County Manager Brian Epley.

The forum is open to the public. The meeting also will be livestreamed on Burke County Government’s YouTube channel.

Unlike a public hearing, a public forum is similar to a large assembly that encourages open conversation, in this case, a question-and-answer period.

“The intention is for dialogue,” Epley said. “It is an input tool. … It is a genuine effort to share factual information, to listen to concerns (and) identify the gaps.”

“We’ve had a lot of interfaces with the public. We’ve heard their concerns, and we’ve been very deliberate about the way we’re going about this process, and now is the time to talk about it in a public forum.”

Board of Commissioners Chair Jeff Brittain, who will attend the meeting, said he hopes it gives the county a chance to speak to the concerns folks may have about the site.

“People came forward with a lot of concerns, and we wanted to take a step back and try to address those concerns,” Brittain said. “We want to see things move forward in the county, and a big economic project could have tremendous positive impact, but we want to do it right and we want to protect all our natural resources at the same time, and I certainly think we can do all of that.”

INITIAL OPPOSITION

The proposed industrial site, titled Great Meadows, has been a subject of contention since last fall, when the state announced a $36 million allocation for the purchase and infrastructure installment on the 1,353-acre property on the Burke-McDowell border at Dysartsville Road. 

The land is currently owned by a Spruce Pine-based entity, Great Meadows, Inc., managed by Byron G. Phillips and family. The Phillips are from the Marion-McDowell County area.

Following the very public October announcement of state support for the Megasite, information from Burke County leaders has been sporadic.

Since then, a groundswell of opposition has emerged in the form of a group called Stop Lake James Megasite. 

The group, concerned about rumors that a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility or mine would occupy the site, launched an online petition that has garnered more than 3,000 signatures.

Epley, however, has met with numerous groups of concerned residents over the last few months, and former commission chair Scott Mulwee released an informational “fireside chat” with Epley on YouTube.

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

A panel of stakeholders in the project will accompany Epley in the presentation, including representatives of The Catawba Riverkeeper, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, Lake James Environmental Association, and Burke Development Inc. 

All had a hand in the development of Epley's proposal.

Catawba Riverkeeper executive leader Brandon Jones said he felt “there was a lack of an environmental voice. If they were moving forward with this project, we wanted them to know how development could be done that minimized environmental impact.”

“This is a large, high-profile parcel right next to the river with significant state tax dollars attached to the project," he said.

In February 2024, Catawba Riverkeeper, Foothills Conservancy, and Lake James Environmental Association prepared and circulated a reasoned and considerate Proposed Conservation Site Plan for Great Meadows “to offer guidance for the protection of the environment and the local community,” according to the cover letter. “...Our goal is to present a plan that focuses on protecting the human and natural environments around the site while accommodating development.”

It offers “solutions to protect the integrity of the human and natural environments of the site itself, and of the immediate vicinity adjacent to the proposed Megasite should it be developed.”

In addition to addressing concerns of water quality, stream buffers, and long-term forest coverage, the site plan details recommendations for local community protections.

“The local community and residents will be impacted by the creation of the Great Meadows Megasite,” states the Plan. “To alleviate issues with industrial practices, 300-foot minimum forested buffers along Highway 70 and other public roads are proposed to ensure the viewshed of the Lake James area and existing residential areas adjoining the proposed site in order to reduce impacts on local residents.”

While Jones said his team has not previewed the final presentation, Epley said his proposal incorporates most of the recommendations detailed in the environmentalists’ plan. Significant among those are creation of 300-foot minimum buffers and the use of up to a dozen retention ponds, Epley said.

The public forum is important for “adding clarity to the public. We want to make sure this process is very transparent," Jones said. “(It’s) just part of a longer process. This is not a done deal,” he said. 

Joanne Deyo, Vice President and acting Executive Director of the Lake James Environmental Association (LJEA) said she was encouraged by the fact three of the area’s predominant conservation groups were asked for their input.

 “Who better to form a collaboration with to develop a proposed conservation site plan and approach Burke County with ideas to protect the natural environment while accommodating development?” Deyo asked. “Our three organizations were pleased that Burke County not only invited us to have a seat at the table and listened to our concerns and suggestions, but they took them to heart.” 

Deyo added she hopes “the forum will clarify the proposed zoning conditions being put in place to help protect the environment.”

WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?

In order for the county to purchase the land, portions of it must be rezoned as Industrial. Burke Development Inc., which is in charge of the project, initially submitted a rezoning application last December, but removed the item from the planning board agenda prior to the board’s monthly meeting.

In April, the Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to reinstate conditional zoning, which the county had moved away from in 2021. Conditional zoning is traditionally used to impose tighter than normal restrictions on industrial developments. 

That appears to be the case with the Great Meadows project. The county is expected to present a long list of restrictions for potential occupants of the site that go far beyond what is required by state law, including greatly expanded buffers and as many as a dozen retention ponds.

BDI’s President and CEO Alan Wood elaborated on the Megasite’s economic impact during a presentation in May at a Burke County Chamber of Commerce event. 

The Megasite’s potential economic value can’t be overstated, Wood said: “I call this a unicorn. This should not exist. There should not be, in Western North Carolina, this much land with access to an interstate, with access to infrastructure, with rail, with 1.8 million people within an hour’s drive time. It does not exist anywhere else in Western North Carolina. That’s why this site is so important.”

Epley is quick to remind residents that the Megasite is years away from completion, if approved. “We are still so early in the process,” he said. “There’s an assumption that we are farther along. … We are years away from the end user. The site hasn’t been acquired. There is no infrastructure. There is no grading plan. This is just the first step of many.”

The next step would entail presenting the rezoning proposal at the county planning board’s next scheduled meeting on Thursday, Aug. 29. The board can approve or deny the request but cannot make an official decision since it serves only in an advisory capacity.

That means the item would likely come before the board of commissioners at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m.. A required public hearing would take place at that time.

Wood said Thursday any zoning changes to the land would remain in place regardless of who ends up on the site. At the Chamber event in May, Wood hinted the state’s burgeoning aerospace industry might be a possible future tenant.