Heading into the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site from either direction, there's a bit of a drive before anyone can see what's going on at the certified AdvantageSite for potential industrial development.

From the Little Canoe Creek side, there's a drive through the woods before the wide expanse that's been cleared is visible, as heavy equipment lumbers on the site in ongoing work to make the property as ready as possible for whatever industry might locate there.

Before the work began, Etowah County Economic Development Director Marilyn Lott said, all the property looked like the woods that lead into it.

This conceptual rendering shows where the Little Canoe Creek Industrial Mega-Site is located, and the railroad line and roadways that give access to the site. The site is a 1,000-plus acre plot the Etowah County Commission bought over the past several years, with a plan to create one of the largest sites available in the state for industrial development.

Lott clearly sees some beauty beyond the backhoe work going on. She said she believes anyone with a vision for development will look at the land — when it's better cleared and made more level — with the mountain in the background, and they'll see the potential in the property.

Lott toured the property last week with members of the County Commission and staffers, pointing out for them where construction of a pad is planned, and other features on the property.

Crews worked previously to relocate gas lines at the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site. The site has three options for gas service at the site. There is a lot to recommend the site to potential industry: the amount of acreage; it has Norfolk Southern rail onsite; it is adjacent to Interstate 59; it has one owner — Etowah County; it's served by Alabama Power; it has 1.4 million-plus gallons per day of excess water capacity; it is AT&T fiber and copper adjacent; and it has three options for natural gas service — Boaz Gas Board with 4- and 8-inch lines onsite; Spire, with 4- and 6-inch lines adjacent; and Southern Natural Gas, with 10- and 12-inch transmission lines 1.25 miles away.

Work continues to clear and flatten the land at the Mega-Site. County leaders are working, Lott said, to give the site even more of an advantage.

She said every dollar the county spends clearing and leveling the land, building a pad and preparing infrastructure at the site is less that an industry will have spend to make the property ready.

That, she said, should give the county an edge when industries come looking for a place to locate.

Etowah Commissioners and other viewed the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site last week from the access road onto the property, as work continues to prepare the site for industrial prospects. For now, industrial development is slow, Lott said — like virtually everything touched by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems.

She said when it picks back up, she believes it will come back strong — that people [company's plans] have been pent up for some time and will have money to spent in development and will be ready to spend it.

A new substation will be built at the Etowah County Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site that currently is under development along Interstate 59. According to a press release from Alabama Power, the project would support economic development in the area and provide greater capacity for businesses and industry in the area.

"Alabama Power's new substation will be a major asset to promote with the mega-site's other location advantages," Etowah County Director of Economic Development Marilyn Lott said. "The substation project, in conjunction with the current construction of a 70-acre, pad-ready, rail-served site, raises the mega-site to the next level and puts us in a strong position to compete and successfully recruit a company with a large number of quality, high-paying jobs."

The infrastructure upgrade is intended to improve reliability to large customers stretching from Attalla to Steele. In addition, the release states that that the building of the substation will provide the area with 115 KV transmission sevice, which is coveted by job-creating industries.

“Alabama Power continues to invest in our reliability as well as the communities we serve,” Spencer Williams, Alabama Power Community Relations Manager, said.

Gadsden, AL - January 21, 2020 - Plans are underway for a $2.7-million site-improvement project for the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site funded through the state’s Growing Alabama Credit program. The Etowah County Commission’s application was approved by the Renewal of Alabama Commission in December, and funding has been secured through a Norfolk Southern Corporation donation.

The project will include grading a portion of the over 1,000-acre property to create a pad-ready rail-served site sufficient to accommodate a large industry. Natural gas lines will be relocated near the edge of the property, and a new railroad crossing will be added to the industrial access road off U.S. Highway 11.

Marilyn Lott, Economic Development Director for Etowah County, said the improvements will enhance the site’s marketability by reducing a company’s construction timeline, saving time and money. “The mega-site has many location advantages for industrial recruitment and this project will improve upon its assets and greatly increase our overall competitiveness,” Lott said. “We’re very grateful to Daniel Parker and company officials of Norfolk Southern and to the Department of Commerce for partnering with us on this project.”

“The Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site is designated as a Norfolk Southern Prime Site, having been thoroughly reviewed for rail access and certified by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama,” said Chris Ingraham, Norfolk Southern’s Assistance Vice President of Industrial Development. “Norfolk Southern is pleased to partner with Etowah County and the state of Alabama to develop a rail-served industrial site that will generate mutual benefits for all parties involved, including increased opportunity for new jobs and private investment across the region.”

The Growing Alabama Credit program, administered by the Alabama Department of Commerce, allows private companies and individuals to get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to 50% of their income tax liability for investing in approved projects, including site preparation for industrial sites. “This infrastructure improvement project at the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site perfectly illustrates how we can use the Growing Alabama Credit as a tool to facilitate growth and expand employment,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “It also underscores how true collaboration can advance the goals of economic development in our state.”

The Etowah County Commission began purchasing the Little Canoe Creek Mega-Site property in 2008. The site is adjacent to Interstate 59 in Attalla and located on a Norfolk Southern mainline. In 2018, the site earned the “Alabama AdvantageSite” designation, which means all the necessary due diligence typically needed by companies and site selection consultants during the evaluation process has been completed.

“These types of partnerships are vital in helping the County Commission reach our longstanding goal of seeing high-paying jobs at the mega-site,” said Jeffery Washington, President of the Etowah County Commission. “We truly appreciate this funding made possible by Norfolk Southern and the state.”

Lott said, “This investment in our community will move us one step closer to seeing significant economic growth in the region as a direct result of the mega-site. We appreciate the support from our elected officials, Gadsden-Etowah IDA, and other economic development partners. Working together, we will make the mega-site a success.”