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SITE

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Golden LEAF recognizes that rural and economically distressed communities must have sites available for development to attract new businesses and create opportunities for existing businesses to expand. To address this need, Golden LEAF created the SITE Program. Through this program, Golden LEAF will provide support to communities to identify potential industrial sites for economic development, enable completion of due diligence on industrial sites already identified, or extend public utilities to or conduct grading and clearing of industrial sites for which due diligence has been completed. Golden LEAF will accept applications from organizations in all counties, but will prioritize awards within counties that have been persistently economically distressed (as demonstrated by County Tier status determined by the N.C. Department of Commerce) and in economically distressed, rural, and tobacco-dependent communities.

The SITE Program consists of the three phases described below. Communities will be able to participate in the program in any of the three phases, and a site may progress from Identification through to Development over time.

  • SITE Program – Identification provides support to identify potential industrial sites in communities that do not currently have quality industrial sites to market.
  • SITE Program – Due Diligence provides funding to complete eligible due diligence activities such as environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, and mapping for identified industrial sites.
  • SITE Program – Development provides funding for public infrastructure and, for publicly owned sites, clearing and grading, to benefit sites that have completed the due diligence necessary to demonstrate that the site is suitable for industrial development.

If you’re not sure which phase is right for your project, we have a few questions to help guide you.

Identification
Due Diligence
Development

Golden LEAF intends for the SITE Program to complement other site readiness and site development programs existing in North Carolina and has coordinated its program requirements with those other programs. See the SITE Program Resources page for information on other site readiness programs.

Resources

Click here for SITE Program Resources including:

  • Frequently Asked Questions and Glossary
  • Guidelines for each phase of the program (including all application questions and list of required attachments)
  • Due Diligence Overview (explanation of technical requirements)
  • Access to application portal
Contact Programs Staff

Application Timeline

The Golden LEAF Board will consider applications in the SITE Program at each of its six regular meetings during the year. The Golden LEAF Board meets in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Click here for the timeline.

The next deadline is September 12, 2024 by noon for review by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors at their December 5, 2024 meeting.

Which Phase Is Right For My Project?

  1. Have you identified a site in your community to market for industrial development?

2. Is the site you have identified for industrial development publicly controlled or publicly owned? (See definition of public control and public ownership in the Glossary)

3. Have you completed all or nearly all of the due diligence items on the Due Diligence Checklist found on the SITE Program Resources page for your site?