GARNER -- An economic development consulting firm says Garner should tear down the former ConAgra Foods plant and change the name of Jones Sausage Road to entice biotechnology or other life sciences companies to build on the property.
The building is expensive to maintain, and it would be hard to find a new company to take over the aging space, said Crystal Morphis, a managing partner for Sanford Holshouser in Raleigh.
"It gives the greatest level of flexibility," Morphis told the Town Council late Tuesday.
The Garner Economic Development Corp., which owns the 106-acre site near Interstate 40 and Jones Sausage Road, hired Sanford Holshouser to create plans for the site. A deadly explosion in June 2009 ripped through the ConAgra plant, and the Nebraska-based company donated the property to Garner when it left town last May.
Sanford Holshouser recommends the town avoid food manufacturers and instead try to attract higher-paying jobs in the life-sciences field.
The building went up in the 1950s, and several additions were built over the years, said Bruce Andrews, president of the GEDC. Room-size ovens cooked sausages, and later Slim Jim meat snacks.
"It served its purpose for what it was," Andrews said of the building.
But except for a water treatment system that could be useful to high-tech industries, the building likely wouldn't suit companies in the life-sciences field, he said.
On the plus side, the area has easy access to the interstate and water and sewer lines, and the property likely will be priced competitively, Morphis said.
Demolition is expected to cost about $1.3 million. Andrews said he was not yet sure where the group would get the money to tear it down.
Currently, the GEDC is spending about $16,000 a month to maintain the site, and Morphis said it could take a while for new companies to move in.
But Andrews said he's ready to market the property to new tenants. "We're working on it constantly," he said.
Sanford Holshouser also suggested that Garner think beyond that tract of land to lure more businesses to create a "technology corridor."
Marketing is key, Morphis said. She urged town leaders to stop referring to the property as "the ConAgra site." The area needs rebranding, and she even suggested changing the name of Jones Sausage Road "to reflect the new types of companies you want to attract to the area."
Morphis also suggested that the town hire additional staff members or an outside agency to market the overall project.
Former ConAgra workers and local residents are anxious to learn what will become of the property. Dozens of people gathered at a public information session in Garner last month to learn about early plans. They heard about goals for redevelopment:
New jobs should offer an average salary that meets or exceeds Wake County's average annual income of $46,800.
Companies should create at least 440 jobs and should bring a tax base of at least $55 million.
Morphis said the redevelopment could serve as a model for industrial sites throughout North Carolina. Officials from other towns have been calling to ask for advice about what Garner is doing with the former ConAgra property, she said.
"There is a lot of excitement around the state," she said.
