Etowah County weighs $194,500 study of a 190-acre addition to the NEAR Megasite

GADSDEN, AL – Etowah County already owns the 190 acres it wants the state to help study at the Northeast Alabama Regional Megasite, and no company is driving the expansion, the county’s chief administrative officer said.

The county bought the land in two pieces. It purchased a 160-acre parcel from the Estate of Ellen Stewart in November 2025 and a 30-acre parcel from William Lucas in January, Chief Administrative Officer Shane Ellison said. The 160 acres sit on the northeast corner of the site. The 30 acres sit on the southeast corner, next to the interstate.

Commissioners took up a resolution Tuesday morning certifying that the county has the local money in hand to chase a state grant covering the assessment work. The proposal totals $194,500. Etowah County’s share, the local match, is $83,246. That leaves roughly $111,254 to come from the state if the grant is awarded.

The county’s match comes from the late fee charged on property taxes, Ellison said. That money is split between infrastructure, the revenue commissioner’s office and the megasite.

What would the $194,500 pay for?

Five studies, according to Ellison: a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, an aquatic resource delineation, a threatened and endangered species habitat assessment, a cultural resources assessment, and floodplain mapping.

What is the SEEDS grant?

SEEDS stands for Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy. The Legislature created it in 2023 as part of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Game Plan economic development package. It is administered by the Alabama Department of Commerce in partnership with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, with grants approved by the State Industrial Development Authority.

The program funds two different things. Site assessment grants pay to evaluate what a piece of property could support. Site development grants pay for the physical work, including land purchases, clearing, grading and infrastructure.

Etowah County’s request is an assessment grant. That distinction matters, because assessment money buys studies, not dirt work.

Across its first three rounds, SEEDS and the required local matches have put roughly $138 million into 77 sites statewide. The state opened applications for Round 4 in July.

Why is Etowah County asking now?

The timing lines up with the Round 4 application window opening this summer. Communities across Alabama compete for the same pool of money.

It also lands days after the largest industrial announcement in the county’s recent history. Minth Group broke ground on a $430 million campus at the former steel mill site in Gadsden, a project expected to bring more than 1,300 jobs, with hiring expected to begin around January.

That project is not at the megasite. But a county that just landed a nine-figure manufacturer has an argument to make about why its remaining industrial land deserves state investment.

What is the NEAR Megasite?

The Northeast Alabama Regional Megasite, usually shortened to NEAR, is county-owned industrial property along Interstate 59 between Steele and Attalla. It is marketed by the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority and carries Alabama AdvantageSite certification.

It was known for years as the Little Canoe Creek megasite. The county rebranded it as NEAR to emphasize what the name spells out, that the property sits near rail, near river transport, near interstate access and near a workforce.

Norfolk Southern has been the site’s most significant private partner, backing rail access and site work through the state’s Growing Alabama program.

How big is the megasite now?

About 1,250 acres. Published figures have varied over the years, and Ellison said the county has used 1,250 since the initial acquisition and has not revised it for the additional 30 acres. He said he always describes the site as approximately 1,250 acres.

Does an expansion mean a company is coming?

Not in this case. Ellison said the county had been advised that the site was irregularly shaped, which might impede development, and that previous site developers had asked whether the acreage could be increased. The two purchases address both concerns, though he said it will never be square.

Economic development agencies routinely assess and improve industrial property years before a specific company is in the picture. Doing the environmental, geotechnical and infrastructure homework in advance is the entire point. When a company does come looking, the site that already has its studies finished can move faster than the one that does not.

What else was on the agenda?

The consent agenda carried a General Fund budget amendment that adds $250,000 for outside medical services at the county jail, $74,354 for inmate medical and dental care and $24,785 for medical care of federal inmates housed in the county. The amendment draws $347,520 out of the General Fund balance.

Ellison said the amendment did not have to appear on the agenda at all. Under a policy the commission adopted previously, he and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Dollar have authority to make those amendments on their own. He said they brought this one forward anyway because of the size of the number, so commissioners could bless it even under consent.

Commissioners also considered nine Sheriff’s Office personnel actions, one-year contract renewals for county garbage service, plastic roadway pipe and lawn maintenance, county levies for four new alcoholic beverage license categories created by the Legislature this year, and a one-year service agreement with Southern Data Automation.

Consent agenda items pass together in a single motion without separate discussion unless a commissioner asks to pull one.

Frequently asked questions

How much would the assessment cost? $194,500 total, with an $83,246 local match from Etowah County, drawn from the late fee on property taxes.

Where are the 190 acres? A 160-acre parcel on the northeast corner of the site and a 30-acre parcel on the southeast corner, next to the interstate.

Who owns the land? Etowah County, which bought both parcels between November 2025 and January.

Is a company connected to this? No. Ellison described the purchases as fixing the site’s irregular shape and adding acreage that site developers had asked about.

How big is the site? Approximately 1,250 acres.

Read more Gadsden and Etowah County news from GadsdenThrive.

This story was updated Aug. 12 with answers from Etowah County Chief Administrative Officer Shane Ellison.