The SITE Program offers resources to help communities identify potential sites for economic development, provides funding to complete due diligence on publicly controlled sites, and provides funding to extend public utilities to publicly controlled sites or to conduct clearing and grading of publicly owned sites. The three phases of the SITE Program are Identification, Due Diligence, and Development. The Golden LEAF Board awarded two SITE Program – Development projects totaling $3 million to projects in Caldwell and Cleveland counties.

• $1,500,000 to Cleveland County for construction of a waterline extension, grading, and related site-preparation costs for the 107-acre Farmville Road site, which will support job creation and private investment.

• $1,500,000 to Caldwell County for construction and related costs to extend sewer to Foothills Regional Airport Industrial Park, which will support job creation and private investment.

Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,399 projects totaling $1.5 billion supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina's rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.

Source: Golden LEAF Foundation.