By DAN TELVOCK
Spotsylvania's economic development director Russell Seymour said the county is still in the running to land a Fortune-50 health care distribution company with 190 new jobs.
Sources familiar with the secret plans called "Project Stonewall" said recently that the company is favoring a site in Caroline County, chiefly because land costs are significantly cheaper. A Fortune-50 company has shown interest in the Carmel Church area of Caroline off Interstate 95.
Caroline County Economic Development Director Gary Wilson declined to elaborate on the proposal. However, he said that he has not been told that his county was successful in luring such a company.
Seymour said the brokers for the unnamed company told him its officials are narrowing down potential sites. He confirmed that Spotsylvania is in competition with Caroline for the business.
"We have not been told we are out of it," he said.
The undisclosed company has shown interest in about 18 acres in the 95 Commerce Business Park off the U.S. 17 Bypass. Brothers Michael and Danny Trivett, who own Trivett's Furniture in Spotsylvania, own the land. Their furniture company continues to grow and they recently opened a store in Loudoun County.
Michael Trivett said he signed a nondisclosure agreement so he could not speak about any party that might be interested in his land.
The price difference in industrial land in Caroline and Spotsylvania counties was said to be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For example, Verizon recently purchased about 6 acres in Spotsylvania and paid $217,000 an acre. In Caroline County, industrial land can be purchased for less than $100,000 an acre.
Michael Trivett said a design was completed for a 300,000-square-foot distribution center on the 18 acres. The county has already approved the design plans, he said. He has not requested a building permit.
"We have a turnkey set of plans ready to go and we could start building on that today," he said.
The 18 acres is not on the market now, he said. If it were, he estimated that he would ask for an amount per acre similar to that of the Verizon deal, $217,000 an acre.
The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors has been courting this mystery company for three years. It is unclear if this company is still on the Forbes 50 list because the list changes annually.
In December 2007, supervisors passed a resolution for up to $400,000 in incentives and infrastructure improvements to the undisclosed company if it located in the 95 Commerce Business Park. The total package is worth as much as $500,000 because the project would get a $100,000 state grant.
Supervisors have met only in closed session to discuss the business prospect and they say they have never been told the company's name.
In November 2009, the Board of Supervisors amended the resolution so it was not site specific. The financial incentives did not change.
In 2007, Spotsylvania supervisors said the company planned to create 190 mostly blue-collar jobs.
The county was expecting to generate $900,000 in tax revenue from the company.
The resolution states the company would invest $50 million in the warehouse operation.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com