The Savannah Economic Development Authority board of directors announced in September their plans to build a technology park at Crossroads business Center. The technology park will span 170 acres and will include a multi-building campus geared to service the growing technology sector. Academic and research facilities, incubator spaces, offices suitable for private sector technology companies, support facilities and parking will all be provided in the park to create what the high-tech industry wants, a campus within a campus environment. Crossroads Business Center is a 1,700-acre class A park adjacent to I-95 and the Savannah International Airport.

Louisiana
Developers in Central Louisiana are moving forward with plans to develop a 111-acre industrial park in Alexandria. The yet unnamed park will be located adjacent to U.S. Highway 71, two miles from Interstate 49. The site features rail and port facilities two miles from Interstate 49 on the Red River. Target industries for the park include metals, plastics, light manufacturing and back office.

There’s another new industrial park being developed in Central Louisiana. This one is located just south of Vidalia, La., or about one hour and fifteen minutes from Alexandria. There’s very little information available on this piece of property other than it encompasses 240 acres.

Missouri
Economically depressed Kinlock, a city located just east of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is getting some welcome news. A developer has earmarked 175 acres for an industrial park that could eventually bring 1,000 new jobs to the city. The city of St. Louis currently holds title to the 175 acres at Interstates 70 and 170, however, the FAA plans to return the land to Kinlock since the property will not be needed for airport expansion. The 175-acre park could accommodate up to three million square feet of industrial space.

A new high-tech office park is being planned for O’Fallon, Mo. Initial plans call for more than 10 Class A office and commercial buildings on Highway 40 near the Missouri Research Park.

North Carolina
n A new industrial park has been approved by the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners. The new 65-acre site is located on U.S. 311 in Madison, N.C. The park will eventually feature a 33,000-square-foot spec building and will have as many as 10 parcels for development. Madison is located about 30 miles north of Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
n The Bannister Industrial Park has broken ground in Garner, N.C., located just south of Raleigh. A developer is planning 150,000 square feet of spec space on the 14-acre park. Four warehouse/industrial buildings are going up, the smallest being 30,000 square feet and the largest will be 67,000 square feet.

A Winston-Salem developer has bought 400 acres southwest of Salisbury, N.C., and on Interstate 85 for an industrial park. The development, off I-85 and Peeler and Webb roads, will be named Platinum Business Park.

Tennessee
Officials at the Memphis International Airport, the world’s largest cargo airport, will begin developing the last remaining major piece of land at the airport within 18 months. About 300 acres are left for future air cargo space. Officials said that since the airport authority controls the land, development can begin whenever a project is identified.

A Sacramento-based developer has acquired 200 acres of land in Southeast Memphis for the development of spec industrial buildings. This is the second site the company has acquired. The first, a 126-acre tract, became the Memphis Oaks Distribution Center. When fully developed, that park will contain 1.8 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space.

Another Memphis developer has acquired a 130-acre tract of land at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 78 and Craft Road. The land, which is located just south of the Mississippi state line, could support 2.25 million square feet of warehouse space.

Texas
A large Texas-based developer is set to launch one of Austin, Texas’ largest development projects since the 1980s. The $40 million deal will create 750,000 square feet of flex offices and warehouses on 68 acres west of I-35 just south of Round Rock, Tex. According officials, the project is located on the last key industrial site along the interstate in the North Austin market. The new site is in what has become one of Texas’ hottest growth areas. It is located midway between Dell Computer’s Round Rock and Austin campuses. The site is designed to accommodate warehousing, manufacturing, assembly and office needs.

A new business park is planned for the Arlington corridor. An Atlanta, Ga.-based developer has purchased 94 acres in Arlington’s I-20 corridor where 1 million square feet will eventually be built. Seven speculative buildings are slated, the first being 170,000 square feet.

Virginia
A new 457-acre business park owned by the County of Roanoke called the Roanoke County Center for Research and Technology has broken ground. The site is located just 25 miles from Virginia Tech, an outstanding research, development and engineering university.

The site is in a prime location on Interstate 81, just 17 miles from the Roanoke Airport in Southwest Virginia. The Center features state-of-the-art infrastructure and well-crafted convenants and architectural controls. Sites at the Center have just come available.

West Virginia
A 300-acre industrial site in McDowell County has received funding recently. The site, contiguous to the proposed Coalfields Expressway and King Coal Highway interchange near Welch, W.V., is being considered for a federal correctional facility that could being as many as 400 new jobs to rural West Virginia.