The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors awarded $937,600 dollars to Cumberland County. The award will be used to help clear and rough grade 30-acres of Sand Hill Road. 

The original parcel of land, which is 159-acres, is located between I-95 and N.C. 87.

“We are happy that our partnership with FCEDC continues to benefit our community,” said Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon. “We look forward to building on this momentum and to the rewarding careers this opportunity will bring to our citizens.” 

Cumberland County was presented with the funding following the second of Golden LEAF’s SITE Program. The program helps support communities in identifying potential sites for economic development and provides funds to enable completion of due diligence on sites identified or to extend public utilities to or conduct rough grading and clearing of sights, stated in a press release.

“Once complete, this will enable us to market the site as shovel-ready and be able to facilitate projects with aggressive timelines,” said Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation Executive Vice President Rob Patton. “This grant directly fits into our strategy of

developing choice business sites, parks, and buildings that will attract quality employers. We greatly appreciate the County for applying and supporting our efforts.”

The Foundation Board of Directors awarded $5,046,536 in funding for 13 projects in Moore, Stoke, Wilkes, Matin, Surrey, Robeson, Cumberland, Duplin, Onslow, Nash, Person, Rutherford, and Columbus counties. 

Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded over 2,011 projects totaling $1.18 billion dollars supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina. 

“The need for industrial sites, especially in rural areas, was a gap identified in our strategic planning process,” said Don Flow, Golden LEAF Board chair. “As we have seen, ready sites are no longer a luxury but a necessity to move at the speed of business. The second round of

SITE Program projects will help prepare North Carolina for these economic growth opportunities.”