The check list is massive, but inch by inch, state and local officials involved in trying to land a tenant for the Memphis Regional Megasite presented updates on the 3,840 acres begging for attention in Haywood County, during a meeting at the Southwest Tennessee Development District in Jackson, Thursday.
“We brought the industrial development authority up to date on where we are with a couple of the remaining pacing items,” Bob Rolfe said. “The first item is to continue to get the property owners to allow us to run the pipelines underneath their property.
“We had a great update from Michael Banks, a lead attorney, who has taken care of that.”
Rolfe is Tennessee’s Economic and Community Development Commissioner, and Banks is an attorney from Brownsville.
“The next step is to get the attorney general’s office involved to hopefully get eminent domain in affect, and then the goal is to be in a position to hand this project off to the next governor January 19, 2019, to give the next governor basically a pathway to success.
“But we will hopefully have eliminated any remaining hurdles by the time we hand the project off to the next governor.”
Banks told those in attendance pipelines will ‘basically’ follow Highway 59 to the Mississippi River.
“The good thing is, we will still have some highway right of way,” Banks said. “Surveyors are out on the ground, or getting ready to be out on the ground. The corps of engineers have been working well with us, and the state is handling that part of it.
“I started building my files off the preliminary list of owners that I’ve received, and as soon as I get some surveys in my hands, I will begin sending out letters and contacting landowners.
Banks said he’s expecting to deal with 75 to 100 landowners, with hopes of getting the easements completed in six months.
Rolfe mentioned another possible hurdle for the Megasite could be the tariffs the United States is imposing on China – which could slow the process of recruitment.
“Not only is (Megasite) a place to expand, but bring new jobs,” Rolfe said. “But there are no winners in a war of tariffs.”
(PHOTO: Bob Rolfe, Tennessee’s Economic and Community Development Commissioner, gives update on Megasite)
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