Commerce seeks marketable inventory in Palmetto Sites

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The South Carolina Department of Commerce will soon launch Palmetto Sites, a program designed to increase the inventory of marketable sites in South Carolina. Palmetto Sites offers prospective industry partners access to an inventory of industrial sites that have been vetted to meet an individual project's needs, according to a news release.

In partnership with Site Selection Group, the Palmetto Sites program layers a technical site analysis with robust workforce and target industry data, the news release said. The outcome of this comprehensive analysis provides a strategic development plan, prioritizing site development and marketing efforts for communities.

"Team South Carolina recognizes that product development is key to being ready for business," Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said in the release. "The customized approach of the Palmetto Sites program will result in a plan that positions each property — and community — to be competitive and successful."

Palmetto Sites have verified critical information and are reviewed and evaluated in the following areas: property ownership and control, site characteristics, utility and transportation infrastructure and due diligence reporting, the release said.

Applications for the Palmetto Sites program are accepted twice a year. The Commerce Department will launch a pilot round this fall before opening the program statewide in early 2020.