No. 3: Great Meadows Megasite (Peoples Choice: No. 4)

The 2024 saga of the proposed Great Meadows industrial megasite in western Burke County is as sprawling as the 1,353-acre tract itself.

The project began simply enough in the fall of 2023, but as the new year dawned, it quickly became apparent absolutely nothing else about the process would be simple.

In October 2023, the General Assembly allocated nearly $36 million to Burke Partnership for Economic Development, Inc., (BDI) the county’s industrial development arm, for purchase of the land and infrastructure construction. State and local officials dubbed it a “game-changer.”

But before the transaction could occur, portions of the land would have to be rezoned Industrial.

An initial request from BDI President and CEO Alan Wood to the county planning board to recommend rezoning was withdrawn before the board’s meeting in December 2023.

Residents of the Lake James and Bridgewater area, fearing a lithium-ion battery manufacturer was eyeing the site, mounted an opposition movement, even as local officials vehemently denied recruiting such an industry.

Meanwhile, the county’s three most prominent conservation groups, Foothills Conservancy, Catawba Riverkeeper, and Lake James Environmental Association, joined forces, worked behind the scenes, and developed a comprehensive site plan they hoped the county would follow as it pursued the project.

In an attempt to answer some of the public’s concerns about the site, the county held several question-and-answer sessions and produced a ‘fireside chat’ video about Great Meadows.

Going a step further, the county revived conditional zoning for the first time since 2021 at the April commissioner meeting.

Under conditional zoning, industries must meet requirements put in place by local governments before they can build on a given property.

Working with the environmental groups, the county developed a stringent list of conditions for Great Meadows and unveiled its strategy at a public forum in late July.

The board approved a rigorous set of restrictions and rezoned 745 acres of the property as Industrial Conditional at its meeting in September, paving the way for the transaction to take place.

Except there wasn’t enough money.

The $35.8 appropriation — of which $22.3 million was earmarked for the land itself and $13.5 million for infrastructure — falls well short of what BDI needs to buy the site. The property carries a $33 million price tag, while infrastructure is expected to cost more than $50 million.

In an attempt to stimulate local economic development in the short term — insisting the Great Meadows project is still very much in its infancy — the county asked the state if it could use $20 million of the megasite money to construct a shell building at the nearby Burke Business Park.

As 2024 came to a close, the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto on a sweeping omnibus bill that included Burke’s request.

Heading into 2025, only this much is certain: The Great Meadows story is far from finished.