NATCHEZ, Miss. – Natchez, Inc., in coordination with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, announced Tuesday the optioning of the Belwood property to a prospective industry representing a potential major investment in Adams County.
The agreement provides for option payments to the county of $62,500 every 90 days – renewable for up to seven consecutive 90-day cycles – as the industry takes time to complete its detailed engineering, environmental review and due diligence associated with a project of this scale.
While the Belwood property is owned by Adams County, the business interested in buying it will not be publicly named as it continues its confidential evaluation and diligence process.
“We are excited about the opportunity this project represents for our community,” said Chandler Russ, executive director of Natchez, Inc., the industrial recruitment agency for Natchez-Adams County. “This level of diligence reflects the seriousness of the prospect and the scale of investment being evaluated. We are hopeful the diligence phase progresses successfully and look forward to supporting the process as it moves forward.”
This comes after another industrial prospect last year canceled plans for building a jet-fuel refinery on the Belwood site. State and federal governments have spent nearly $6 million for building a just-completed levee to protect the site from Mississippi River floodwaters. Velocys had planned to build a plant to convert wood debris from area timberlands into fuel.
The 110-acre site is the former Belwood country club and golf course the Adams County board purchased in 1998 — the year the country club closed — to accommodate industries. However, the flood-prone land has remained vacant the past three decades as local officials struggled to find an industrial tenant. With the levee now built, it’s considered more attractive for an industry to occupy. The land is located on River Terminal Road at the outskirts of Natchez near the Adams County river port.
Russ also announced plans Tuesday for expansion at another county-owned industrial site: the old International Paper property. Winnwood Forest Products already there plans to purchase another 17 acres of the former paper mill land to expand its sawmill operations. Now employing about 30 people there, the company is expected to generate another 15 jobs and invest $2 million.
“This expansion reflects the strength of our industrial sites and the confidence that companies like Winnwood have in Adams County,” Russ said. “Winnwood Forest Products is a great example of how investment in site readiness and infrastructure translates into real job creation, payroll growth and long-term economic stability for our community.”
“This expansion represents exactly the kind of growth we want to see in Adams County—existing employers reinvesting, creating jobs and strengthening our tax base,” said Angela Hutchins, president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors. “Winnwood Forest Products has been a strong corporate partner, and we are proud to support their continued success at the Mississippi River Energy Complex.”
Winnwood and Phibro, a tire-recycling facility, now occupy parts of it.
Adams County has in recent years received state funds to make the land on Lower Woodville and Carthage Point roads “shovel-ready” for more industries. This includes $1.7 million that Gov. Tate Reeves announced last month is being directed to Adams County.
Russ and Adams County supervisors met Tuesday in a session closed to the public to discuss the newest industrial developments. Natchez Inc. issued news releases afterward to detail the projects.
Russ said Natchez, Inc. and its partners remain committed to positioning Adams County’s industrial sites as competitive, shovel-ready assets capable of supporting industrial investment and long-term job creation.
Comments