Tradewinds Industrial Park Closer to GRAD Certification
The Brunswick & Glynn Development Authority and the Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water & Sewer Commission (JWSC) have worked together to cross a significant milestone in bringing the Tradewinds Industrial Park to certified industrial status. In recent years, the Glynn County community has worked diligently to market industrial and commercial sites for economic growth. A significant opportunity for over 600 acres of industrial growth is the Tradewinds Industrial Park at Exit 42 on I-95. One key to better marketability is Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certification.
The GRAD Sites Program is a proactive effort by Georgia’s economic development community to develop a pool of available sites ready for industrial development. The GRAD designation for an industrial site means that the site has been pre-reviewed and pre-qualified for the following criteria: Phase I environmental assessment, preliminary geotechnical investigation, cultural and endangered species investigation, zoning designation, utility service (water & sewer), wetlands and stream delineation.
The Brunswick & Glynn County Development Authority has persistently made efforts to achieve GRAD certification for the Tradewinds Industrial Park. Until recently, this site met all the requirements except sanitary sewer service capacity. “This is a significant development in our efforts to achieve GRAD Certification, and we appreciate the hard work of the JWSC. Having sites that are engineered and ready for development is critical to our success in attracting and growing our industry. We are working diligently to submit our application and look forward to continued success.” said Paulo Albuquerque, Chairman of the Authority.
The JWSC has been working on the North Mainland Sewer Improvements Project which was initiated to increase sewer capacity for economic development in the North Mainland Area. These efforts include increased capacity for the Tradewinds Industrial Park. This project was made possible by funds provided from the 2016 SPLOST election. With these funds, Phase I of the North Mainland Sewer Improvement Project has been completed. With Phase I completion, sufficient sewer capacity has been made available to facilitate GRAD certification of the Tradewinds Industrial Park. This certification will provide much greater potential for industrial and commercial development at this site and will increase opportunities for job creation.