Brunswick County purchases additional land for incoming manufacturing facility

Another 30 acres of land in Brunswick County will be used to continue its momentum of economic development.

After investing nearly $19 million to purchase hundreds of acres of land last year, Brunswick County leaders unanimously decided last month to buy even more land in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park to support an incoming manufacturing facility.

Last fall, the county’s top leaders purchased 539 acres of land in the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park off U.S. 74/76 near Northwest with the intention of using it for economic development purposes. Shortly after the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners authorized that purchase in September 2023, the county announced Epsilon Advanced Materials, an India-based electric vehicle battery parts manufacturer, would build a $650 million, 1.5-million-square-foot facility in the park, bringing around 500 jobs to the county.

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In March, the board unanimously approved the purchase of an additional 30 acres of land adjacent to the 539 acres purchased last fall. County leaders said the additional land will be used to support infrastructure for the development of the land.

Since the original purchase, county leaders said moves have been mode to ensure the park has “adequate utility infrastructure,” potentially including the expansion of the park’s water tower, addition of a water line under U.S. 74/76, and extension of county water and sewer services to the land. In considering that work, county staff began exploring a portion of the adjacent parcel to support the needed infrastructure expansion.

“Staff believes purchasing the property at this time is in the best interest of the county,” a staff report said.

The infrastructure is estimated to cost some $11.1 million, funded by utility enterprise funds and around $7 million in potential grants. The board authorized the purchase of the additional land for $1 million.

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A public hearing was held in March and the board unanimously voted to move forward with the purchase. According to Brunswick County property records, the land was owned by William Grainger of Savannah, Georgia. Grainger was also the previous owner of the hundreds of acres purchased by the county last fall.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross.