Donny Hicks Outlines Growth in Gaston County

Development Updates:

• Riverwest Business Park: This development in Belmont, NC will include 2 industrial buildings combined at 580,000 feet.
  • Building A will feature 101,520 – 380,000 SF with 36’ ceiling height, 80 dock high doors, and 4 drive-in doors.
  • Building B will feature 38,406 – 227,000 SF with 36’ ceiling height, 54 dock high doors, and 2 drive-in doors.
• Gateway 85: This development containing about 3.6 million square feet and located between Gastonia, NC and Lowell, NC has recently completed the first 2 buildings.
  • Building 1 features 286,275 SF industrial space.
  • Building 2 features 622,400 SF industrial space.
• Equus: This development, dubbed Carolina 85, has announced a 300,240 SF industrial space fronting Interstate 85 in Kings Mountain, NC. It is set to include an industrial warehouse and trailers.
• Trinity – Delta Business Park: This project, set on Delta Drive in Gastonia, has announced an 872,000 SF industrial space with can be expandable to 1 million SF. It is a 50-million-dollar investment and is expected to be delivered in about 8-12 months.
• Trinity – Bessemer City: This development, dubbed Edgewood85 Commerce Park, will soon start work on a 1 million SF industrial space which will include 4 buildings in Bessemer City, NC.
• Apple Creek Corporate Center: This development, located in Dallas, NC, will be home to a 330-acre industrial business park. It is owned by Gaston County and has environmental and geotechnical reports will be available
  • It will contain Mass graded, pad ready sites.
  • Restrictive covenants
  • All utilities are ready and in place.
• Cherryville: A new business park could soon be coming to Cherryville, NC with nearly 100 acres of land available to a proposed development containing 8 industrial buildings.
• Gastonia Technology Park: This 422-acre Class A business park is home to advanced manufacturing and technological opportunities. It is home to 10+ business already.
• Summit at Court Drive: Located in Gastonia, NC, this is a 60-acre Class A business park owned by Gaston County. It is mainly home to medical practices and testing facilities but has more sites ready for development.
• South Ridge Business Park: This 425-acre business park, located in Bessemer City, is home to distribution and manufacturing companies such as Dole, Hunter Douglas, and Advanced Drainage Systems.
• The Oaks Commerce Center: Located in Belmont, NC, this privately owned 280-acre industrial park is home to a wide range of companies such as Dixie Industrial Supply, Wilbert Plastics, and DePalo Bakery.
• Mount Holly- Crescent: This development which holds 113.79 acres, which can be subdivided, is located in Mount Holly, NC. It is adjacent to National Gypsum and located just off Hwy 273. It can accommodate one large user of 400,000 SF and is zoned by Gaston County.
• Riverbend Farms: This development, located on the county lines of Gaston and Lincoln, will be a multi-use space with warehouse, retail, office, and residential uses. It is 900 acres of land spilt 60% in Gaston County and 40% in Lincoln County.

Project Updates:

• GNT: After recently purchasing 49.24 acres of space in the Apple Creek Corporate Center, GNT will be the official first tenant of the business park. This food coloring company made an initial investment of more than 30 million dollars and intend to create 40 more jobs.
• Polkemi: This Sweden based plastic fabrication company has recently purchased the Maistro Shell Building within the Gastonia Technology Park. They made an initial investment of more than 11.8 million dollars and intend to create 22 new jobs.
• Knoll America, LLC: This German based supplier of conveyer and filtration systems has recently purchased 12 acres of space in the Apple Creek Corporate Center. Their intention is to build their headquarters for operations and production. They made an initial investment of 7.89 million dollars and intends to create 31 new jobs.
• Advanced Drainage Systems: After expanding to South Ridge Business Park in Bessemer City in 2018, an investment of 3.43 million dollars was made and 13 new jobs were created.
• Era Polymers: After moving to Stanley NC and buying the DSM factory in 2018, this Australian based formulation company made an investment of 9.2 million dollars and created 20 new jobs.
• Sonic Automotive: After purchasing a facility in Lowell in 2018, an investment of 11.2 million dollars was made and 500 jobs will be created.
• Firestone Fibers and Textile Co: After expanding to Kings Mountain, an investment of 19.77 million dollars was made and 28 new jobs were created.

Transportation Updates: 

Funded transportation projects in the works:

I-85/US 321 Interchange Improvements

I-85 Widening

NC 279 (S New Hope Rd) Widening

US 74 Catawba River Bridge

US-273 Widening

NC-7 Improvements

US-74/NC-273 Intersection Improvements

I-85 Widening: Statewide Mobility Tier

I-85 /I-485 Interchange Improvements: Statewide Mobility Tier

NC 279/US 74 Interchange Improvement: Regional Impact Tier

Redbud Drive Connector: Regional Impact Tier

US 74 Widening/South Fork River Bridge Replacement: Regional Impact Tie

The much-anticipated Wilkinson Lightrail Line is also still currently in the works. The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) picked this route for easy access to the airport. It will start in the town of Matthews, run through uptown, towards the airport, and end in Belmont. This project is expected to be completed in 2030.