The City of Morristown’s has a big, $8 million investment in industrial development that is starting to take shape down at the East Tennessee Progress Center industrial hub near Exit 8 on Interstate 81.

It was announced last year that a $4 million site development grant had been awarded to develop a 100,000 sq. foot industrial building industrial recruitment for quick development.

“(The spec building purpose is) to speed the time to market for prospective industries looking at the community and it’s just to save construction time,” Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce President Marshall Ramsey said. “So, if we spend a year doing the construction, that effort saves them a year towards operations. I’d say, probably, seventy percent of the projects we see want an existing building, so, by not having existing buildings open, we lose out on a good percentage of the possible projects. It just creates a quicker speed to market for new industry or expanding industry in our area.”

The City of Morristown is the main investor in the project and is providing the $8 million needed to get the project done, so, when the project sells it will recoup its investment and anything over the $4 million dollar grant.

The site funding is coming from the city, with the site grant coming from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The Tennessee Valley Authority contributed toward supporting infrastructure and sewer improvements.

Developers are hoping the help with funding will allow them to price the building well and attract a wide variety of suitors to get another modern industry in the city.

“It still remains to be seen what (that potential outcome) that might look like,” Morristown City Administrator Andrew Ellard said. “Every prospective deal that the Industrial Development Board is going to consider can be so different based on jobs or space they need, or whether they’re looking to buy or whether they’re looking to lease for a period of time or anything like that. But, having a ready to go brand new building that can be finished out to suit somebody’s needs pretty quickly, would certainly bode well for prospects that might come our way.”

Modern manufacturing requires a good amount of headroom, and the spec building has it in spades with a 42 foot ceiling height.

The shell is up and the building under roof is 100,000 sq. feet, but grading work and prep has been accomplished that will make doubling the size simple for any industry that will want to look at expansion eventually.

“We’re preparing the pad so expansion’s cheap and easy,” Ellard said.

He said the city does expect to recover its investment and the approach was just another tool to grow good industry in Morristown.

Ramsey said development continues at a quick pace in Morristown in general and pointed to work being done around the Lowland/Enka area and future rail access sites at newly acquired property at the Morristown Airport Industrial District.

“We’re excited about the continued industrial growth in Hamblen County,” he said. “And, while we know tariffs and other national issues that might slow some of the progress, we’re still excited to see the growth of our existing industry and still have a number of new projects looking from around the world. So we still think our little part of East Tennessee here in Morristown and Hamblen County is a good place to do business.”

Ellard agrees. “I think that Morristown has been a hub for industry, and I think we want to continue to be so,” he said. “And we want to continue to be competitive regionally for opportunities that might come our way.”