The sale of a Bryan County megasite announced in May officially closed on July 27, marking the largest strategic purchase in Georgia history.
A total of $61 million went into the purchase and was made possible by the state reinvesting proceeds from the sale of a Chatham County Economic Development Site to Amazon. Bryan and Chatham County also contributed $9 million each and will be reimbursed later.
The state’s purchase of the 2,284-acre economic development site was made in partnership with the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority (JDA), which consists of Chatham, Bryan, Bulloch and Effingham County.
“We are working with the state to develop some thresholds for jobs, wages, investments, that type of thing, in order to provide some focus on the types of projects we’ll pursue,” said Anna Chafin of the Bryan County Development Authority.
The JDA previously said they hope to attract an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), possibly an automaker, that will generate thousands of jobs as well as draw in suppliers.
“It is very encouraging to see a new, fully prepared mega-site come online that will create more high-quality jobs for hardworking Georgians,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp at the initial announcement in Atlanta, “The regional approach between local governments — in coordination with the Georgia Ports Authority and the Department of Economic Development — continues to make doing business in the Peach State easier and more attractive to companies around the world.