These rural expanses could be Georgia’s next big development sites
State leaders are pumping a new round of funding into select rural Georgia communities to prepare their development sites for the needs of industry.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday announced $4.3 million in grants that will be split among a half dozen projects in far-flung corners of Georgia that typically don’t land large economic development projects. The funding is designed to improve the infrastructure of industrial parks and certify project sites for fast-track construction.
It’s the third round of grant funding provided through the Rural Site Development Initiative, which has totaled $21 million in grants since its inception in 2024. Kemp called it an effort to bring “good-paying jobs to every part of the state.”
“Development ready sites are a must-have to be competitive in today’s landscape, especially in key industries such as logistics and manufacturing,” Pat Wilson, the Georgia Department of Economic Development commissioner, said in a news release.
The bulk of the funding is split between projects in Camden and Toombs counties, both deep in southeast Georgia.
Camden County, in the southeast corner of Georgia, was awarded a $2 million grant. The funding will help build a new entry road to the Coastal Georgia Commerce Park, along with other infrastructure improvements.
Home to the city of Vidalia, which is famous for its sweet onions, Toombs County will also receive a $2 million grant. It’s to help make site-readiness improvements to a nearly 600-acre project called One Toombs Industrial Park.
Four other projects will receive smaller grants to certify industrial parks through the Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development program, also known as GRAD. The program is designed to help local government-owned project sites meet “the speed of business,” as Wilson often says, by getting them shovel-ready.
Those industrial parks are in Brantley County, Candler County, Floyd County and Ware County. Those grants total nearly $331,000.
To receive the grants, the local development authority that owns the industrial park has agreed to match funding at varying levels. The project is overseen by the OneGeorgia Authority within the Department of Community Affairs.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
