Hayesville – Amazon has purchased land in Clay County to build a warehouse and distribution center.
The Clay County Board of Commissioners and Amazon.com LLC closed the sale of 19.706 acres on McDonald Road on Feb. 10. Amazon paid $591,180 for the property, which is in a designated industrial site.
During their Feb. 6 meeting, Clay County commissioners voted to move forward with the sale after entering closed session for attorney/client privilege. When they returned to open session, the board voted to approve a special warranty deed for the transfer of the property.
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“We are excited to expand our presence into Clay County,” Greg Rios, a public relations specialist for Amazon, said in response to inquiries from the Clay County Progress. “Over the coming months, Amazon will work with local officials to finalize the plans for this project and look forward to sharing more information as it becomes available.”
As noted in a resolution dated Aug. 27, 2024, the Clay County Board of Commissioners gave County Manager Debbie Mauney the authority to negotiate, enter into and execute sale of the land at Clay County Industrial Park to JB2 Partners to build a warehouse and distribution center,” commission Chair Rob Peck said.
A public hearing regarding the sale was held on Aug. 20, 2024.
The potential investment in building a large facility within the Industrial Park could drive tremendous revenue to the county and surrounding areas while also creating numerous jobs, according to the board.
“The potential purchaser’s proposal could result in up to 10 full-time jobs and a 100 or more part-time positions. An additional 100 or more jobs would be created by contracting out additional services with a third party,” Peck said in an earlier interview.
The wages to be paid workers by the business is anticipated to meet and/or exceed the median average wage in the county as computed by the N.C. Department of Commerce, which today is $20.50 per hour, according to initial resolution to move forward with the sale.