Michelin North America could soon tread new territory in Spartanburg County.
The Greenville-based tire manufacturer and its development partner Panattoni Development Co. of California are seeking to build a multi-unit distribution center that would create hundreds of jobs, according to sources familiar with the project.
Sources said Michelin considered several sites in the county but has narrowed its focus on property near the intersection of highways 101 and 417.
“We are always looking at and constantly evaluating new growth opportunities,” said Michelin spokesman Tony Fouladpour. “I am not able to provide specifics on any announcements at this time.”
Spartanburg County Council will vote on the second reading of an incentives agreement with Michelin and Panattoni during its meeting on Monday, according to county documents.
Council approved the first reading of the agreement under the economic development project codenamed “Project Magellan.”
“We cannot comment on any project that may or may not be in development,” said County Councilman David Britt.
The center could be similar to Michelin’s 1.7 million-square-foot Midwest distribution center at the RidgePort Logistics Center in Wilmington, Ill., sources said.
Sources said the Spartanburg distribution center could include up to five separate buildings each totaling 300,000 square feet.
Local officials and commercial developers have expressed optimism about the potential of the Highway 101 corridor between Woodruff and Greer to attract a wide range of economic development opportunities.
Britt said last week the county has begun working with its utility partners to develop a plan to extend sewer services further down the Highway 101 corridor. Canadian pharmaceuticals giant Valeant, the parent company of Bausch & Lomb, has filed site plans with the county for a 432,000-square-foot distribution facility near the intersection of highways 417 and 101.
Doris Smith, principal of Doris Smith Realty, said she began selling property that was part of her brother’s former peach orchard near the intersection in the late 1980s.
Smith has a few large tracts listed in the area, although she said Michelin has not approached her.
“I said at the time that it would be one of the fastest-growing areas of the county if the utilities could be extended that way, and that was back before the road was widened,” Smith said. “I grew up near BMW, and I have seen many changes over the years. I see tremendous potential in that area.”
