PERTH – The transformation of a former state juvenile detention center into the Tryon Technology Park & Incubator Center took another step forward Thursday, when town officials voted to rezone the site.
The Town Board voted to revise the zoning law, creating a business and technology zone in the area that includes Tryon. The board also made technical amendments to the zoning law’s table of contents. The land in the area was previously zoned only for agricultural and residential use.
Fulton County Industrial Development Agency officials unanimously approved Perth’s plans to change the former site to a business and technology zone, and now, Town Supervisor Greg Fagan said, the work can begin in one or two months.
“As soon as we get the deed, we can get this going,” Fagan said.
The Town Board conducted a public hearing at its Thursday meeting regarding the matter, but town residents didn’t have much to say other than it would be good for the area – that residents need the jobs the technology park would bring.
The Tryon property, which sits along county highways 107 and 158, includes 515 acres and about 40 buildings that can be used as office space. About 320 acres of the site are available for new industrial construction.
County Senior Planner Sean Geraghty, who authored the zoning changes for Perth, has said new housing, such as condominiums, could be part of the development plan.
Concerns about traffic had been brought up previously, but town and county officials have discussed plans to repave County Highway 107 to accommodate the additional traffic. They also have discussed paving a new road that connects the site to County Road 158.
The county anticipates spending roughly $3.14 million to redevelop the site, with $2 million coming from a state grant.
John Borgolini covers rural Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected].
