Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
WALLACE — Trees are already coming down and earth is being moved on a 5-acre parcel of land in a Wallace’s industrial park. The work is being done to make room for what economic development officials hope will be Duplin County’s next big business.
An affirmative zoning vote from the Wallace Town Council on June 12 cleared the final hurdle for the project to begin.
Duplin County Economic Development Director Scotty Summerlin requested the variance to allow smaller side setbacks on the county-owned property in the SouthPark Business and Industry Center. The move makes room for the new building. It was unanimously approved.
Summerlin said on Friday that the 50,000-square-foot building at 160 SouthPark Drive will be attractive to industries looking for a place to do business. The building’s 30-foot clear-span ceiling height means the building can be used in many ways.
“The attractive shell building will be partially completed inside in order to be finished to meet the future owner’s specific needs,” Summerlin said. “All the strong bones will be in place to be built upon for complete customization. Water, wastewater, electricity and data are all in place at SouthPark and ready to be extended to the building with relative ease.”
The shell building will cost approximately $3 million, and it’s made possible by a state-directed grant from the legislature, he said. Daniels and Daniels, a construction company based in Goldsboro, will be building the facility and local subcontractors will also be used.
“Clearing and early site work is underway,” Summerlin said. “We expect the first phase of the shell building to be complete and ready for upfit in January 2026. Once sold, total buildout of the building could be completed in three to six months. Alternatively, the county may entertain a lease.”
The county Economic Development Commission is working with North Carolina’s Southeast, a regional body that helps to promote economic development in a 20-county area, to find a buyer for the building that will bring more jobs to Wallace and the region, Summerlin said.
Economic Development Commission Chairman Charley Farrior thanked the council for their vote on the zoning variance and expressed his optimism about the new site. He pointed out that Wayne County recently sold two similar shell buildings to one industry.
The rapid growth in housing and commercial development in Wallace in recent years highlights the need for more employment, he added.
“We are confident that the SouthPark Shell Building is ideally situated to add to that economic growth,” he said. “Secondly, we have a strong focus on further developing the county’s industrial parks. A similar building will be constructed at the Duplin County AirPark in Kenansville, which will be leased. As buildings are sold or leased, more buildings may be constructed in the future.”
