ElectriCities of North Carolina,Inc., has designated a 25.3-Acre Smart Site at New Bern’s Coastal Carolina Regional Airport. The designation guarantees the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.
Located near the intersection of Old Airport Road and Airport Road, the Smart Site is less than a half mile from U.S. Highway 70 on land that the FAA recently approved for non-aeronautical commercial or light industrial use. The City of New Bern provides the site’s electricity, water and waste water services.
ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to Andrew Shorter, deputy director of Coastal Carolina Regional Airport; Cindy Blot, community and economic development manager for the City of New Bern; and Timothy Downs, director of economic development for Craven County.The site will now be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.
About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.
“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”
Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.
ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are located in Farmville, Greenville,Kinston, Statesville, Tarboro, Washington and Wilson.
Learn More
To learn more about New Bern’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Brenda Daniels at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.
About ElectriCities of North Carolina
ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., is the membership organization that provides power supply and related critical services to over 90 community-owned electric systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia—collectively known as public power. ElectriCities manages the power supply for two power agencies in North Carolina and provides technical services to assist members in operating their electric distribution systems. ElectriCities also helps these locally owned and operated public power providers thrive today and in the future by delivering innovative services, including legislative, technical, communications, and economic development expertise.
Visit www.electricities.com to learn more about the benefits of public power and how ElectriCities helps communities keep the lights on through access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy.
Media contact
Elizabeth Kadick
Vice President, Communications, ElectriCities
919-760-6285
ekadick@electricities.org