LELAND, Miss.–Leland will soon have the only qualified industrial site in the Delta. That means it will be easy for an industry to locate there, would they wish to do that. One economic development expert says the new Delta Blues Power Station, which will be located outside of Greenville, will make it possible for an economic turnaround for the entirety of the Delta, should counties wish to cooperate.
“We’re kind of being given a once in a lifetime opportunity here,” said Justin Burch, executive director of the Washington County Economic Alliance.
Burch told the Washington County Boards of Supervisors Monday that he was in a meeting with the governor and the Mississippi Development Authority where it was suggested counties should prepare their industrial sites for such development.
“Their biggest recommendation to us is to try to use the power plant to set a millage towards economic development for the county,” he said. That essentially means counties need to put tax money into developing the sites.
“The Delta and specifically Washington County, because of the energy generation that’s coming from this power plant, we could see a complete reversal of economic fortunes in my lifetime,” he said. “These things come very rarely. This is the first power plant to be built in 70 years.”
The county already has a nearly-ready offering for industries. Leland has the only industrial site that is “shovel ready” in the Delta, said Burch. He said it’s a “qualified” site.
“Qualified means that it’s shovel-ready. I mean like you could move in tomorrow,” he said. “So they’re more competitive. But, y’all will have the only one in the Delta.”
But, Burch said the county needs to make some moves to get the railroad extended to the site.
“What we want to start working with on the Leland site is getting it rail-capable.”
Last week Gov. Tate Reeves announced money will be going into industrial sites all over the state, which includes several projects in the Delta. Those projects could bring industrial sites like the Cleveland Airport up to shovel-ready status.
