SITE

Golden LEAF recognizes that rural and economically distressed communities must have industrial sites and shell buildings 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 provides support to communities to identify potential industrial sites for economic development, enable completion of due diligence on industrial sites already identified, extend public utilities to or conduct grading and clearing of industrial sites for which due diligence has been completed, and to construct industrial shell buildings. Golden LEAF accepts applications from organizations in all counties but prioritizes 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. Funding in the SITE Program is limited and the application process is expected to be competitive.

The SITE Program consists of the four phases described below. Communities are able to participate in the program in any of the four phases, and a site may progress from Identification through Due Diligence, Development, and Shell Building over time. See the SITE Program Resources page for detailed guidelines for each phase.

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 develop sites that have completed the due diligence necessary to demonstrate that the site is suitable for industrial development.
SITE Program – Shell Building provides funding for clearing and grading, site preparation, and construction of industrial shell buildings on publicly owned sites. May be combined with SITE Program – Development funding in a single project.

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

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:

Guidelines for each phase of the program (including all application questions and list of required attachments)
Required application documents
Due Diligence Technical Requirements
Due Diligence Overview (explanation of technical requirements)
Glossary and FAQ
Access to grant portal

Application Calendar

The Golden LEAF Board considers received 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 calendar and look for the dates for the SITE Program.

Which Phase Is Right For My Project?

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

If not, start with the Identification phase.
If Yes, go to question 2.

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

If not, contact Golden LEAF staff.
If yes, go to question 3.

3. Are you seeking funding for a shell building?

If not, go to question 4.
If yes, review the guidelines for the Shell Building phase found on the SITE Program Resources page. (The Shell Building phase has special due diligence and other requirements. Shell Building funding is only available for publicly owned sites. Shell Building funding can be combined with Development funding in a single project.)

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

If not, start with the Due Diligence phase.
If yes, start with the Development phase.