Tags: Buncombe County commissioners, economic development, featured, Keen Transport, Project X

Buncombe County pays more than $1 million for 8 acres on Hendersonville Road

Jason Sandford May 16, 2013

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

Property records filed with the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office show that Buncombe County bought 7.9 acres of land from Keen Transport on May 13 for $1.075 million. The transaction may be part of a secretive economic development deal the county is pursuing. The deal involves a land-swap.

Earlier this week, Buncombe County commissioners held a public hearing to get public feedback on the deal. Here’s part of what Dale Neal of the Asheville Citizen-Times wrote following Tuesday’s public hearing:

Taxpayers will foot the bill for a land swap and a multimillion dollar incentive package for a manufacturer to bring 52 new jobs to Buncombe County — but they’re in the dark about what kind of company the county is courting.

County officials said that “Project X” will more than pay for itself over time with added revenues from leases, property taxes and paychecks.

The company’s identity wasn’t revealed Tuesday at the public hearing on “Project X” — the code name for both the company and the complex deal to lure the manufacturer to Buncombe County. …

After a short series of public hearings, commissioners voted unanimously to spend $15.7 million on construction and a land swap at an undisclosed location. The county would construct a 20,000-square-foot building on one tract of land, swap it for other property and use that property as a site for a 125,000-square-foot building for Project X.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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6 Comments

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Sean May 17, 2013

This sits behind my office. It’s going to be a truck terminal. Supposed to start with 51 jobs. Here is the problem: They refuse to tie into the redlight at Linamar. The property owner of that land has offered to sell as well. This will create a traffic mess of epic proportions if they don’t tie in, and utilise the redlight. They want to do the right thing, but are going about it wrong. Lord help us all.

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John May 17, 2013

Ain’t it great?!?! The gubment has plenty of our money to do with what they like without our input. Oh, but of course the answer is bigger, more powerful government.

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Murphy May 16, 2013

When did it become the norm for businesses to demand millions to expand or locate to an area … even Borg Warner, an established and succesful opertaion, has asked for “incentives” for 24 new jobs …

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Chuck May 16, 2013

May be? There’s only one reason this hasn’t been made in public. Buncombe County officials do not want any bad press or backlash. But the fact that they are in essence using taxpayer money without any disclosure is very suspicious

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Sean May 16, 2013

That property is across Hendersonville Road from Linamar. Keen used to transport Volvo’s heavy machinery from the factory across H’Ville Road to that temporary holding lot. It has access to the rail spur that was built specifically for Volvo and Progress Energy.

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