Originally posted on Talk Business and Politics
Newport has a certified 100-acre industrial development park, but it’s not large enough to attract enough job providers to Jackson County.
To lure industries to the region, the commission hopes to get a 3,200-acre swath certified by the state in 2017, Newport Economic Development Commission Executive Director Jon Chadwell told Talk Business & Politics. It also hopes to develop an 800-acre intermodal site south of Newport that abuts the White River.
Entergy and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission formed a partnership to certify select industrial sites around the state. A certified site means it has passed a litany of studies, and other requirements, Chadwell said. The 3,200-acre site would qualify as a “Mega” site in the state, meaning it could cater to virtually any industry including a major automotive manufacturer. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said more than once he’d like to locate automaker in the state.
