Hartsville planners hear about prospects for industry
By JIM FAILE
The Hartsville Planning commission heard a briefing about potential industrial sites in and around the city during a work session Friday.
Robert Long, executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership, spoke to the commission about possible sites and the possibilities for developing and marketing them.
Long said industrial sites in the Hartsville area are few. “I think there is a need in this part of the county for industrial sites,” he said. “We still do not have enough product in this area.”
The session was intended to give planning commission members and city officials some food for thought as officials consider and plan the city’s economic development strategy. “This is all pretty preliminary,” Long said.
Long identified a few sites, some with buildings some without, that are privately owned and that he said are suitable for small manufacturing operations. They included sites on Railroad Avenue and Marquis Highway and on Russell Road and Shaw Drive. He said the old Winn Dixie building on Westfield Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, continues to hold interest as a possible site for a call center.
He said it is unlikely the city could attract a large manufacturing industry, but should be able to target smaller manufacturers. He also said a small industry or business park could also be a possibility.
He said access to rail as well as other infrastructure such as water and sewer make the area more marketable to industry.
Long said he was not recommending that the city attempt to purchase any potential industry sites. He suggested possibly negotiating with property owners about possible options.
Hartsville has a good industrial base already, and that could help attract other industries, Long said. “Industries typically like to be near other industries,” he said.
“Typically, industries like to be within 10 miles of an interstate,” Long said. “Hartsville’s not within 10 miles of an interstate, but when an industry requires rail service, they’re much more willing to be further away from an interstate if that means having access to rail.”
He also discussed the process of certifying potential industrial sites and marketing them. “To be competitive, you’ve got to have industrial sites, ideally under your control and certified,” he said.
Most industries will not consider a site that is not properly certified, Long said. “The certification process is where the due diligence is done on a site,” he said.
He said consulting firms are available to work with local development efforts on getting sites certified. Darlington County currently has one certified industrial park site and is currently going through the process of getting a second site certified, Long said.
Long said that Hartsville is also well positioned geographically to entice some lower tier suppliers for larger industries like the new Boeing plant in the Charleston area.
“You don’t want smokestack industries, but you want jobs,” he said.
Planning commission Chairman Richard Boiteau said the next step for city officials is to determine how marketable the city is for small industry.
“I think it’s worth pushing forward,” said Interim City Manager Vern Myers. “There’s a lot churning right now with the hotel, the Hartsville Garden Apartments and some new downtown businesses. The more we can keep it moving forward, the better off we are.”
“The city’s got to make the commitment to look at this,” said Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington. “Unless we can identify our selling points and market it, we might just as well go home.”
Boiteau said the planning commission will discuss the information presented more and will likely present a recommendation to Hartsville City Council at some point.