Okaloosa County BOCC — May 15, 2013 — reading text

Week of September 8, 2013 --- --- Deadline - Phase III Application September 2014 $7,750 $7,750 th Notification of Certification Decision 4 Quarter 2014 --- --- Total Cost to Entities $10,500 $10,500 For Consideration o One of the fastest growing trends in economic development is the demand for project-ready industrial site locations. Companies looking to build new facilities want sites that are ready to go and relatively “risk free.” Competitive communities who are seeking to recruit projects need to be prepared to market their sites with a wealth of site-related information and data. o Companies are not willing to wait for a community to identify an appropriate site and determine its suitability for development. By doing it ahead of time, it puts the prepared community steps ahead of other communities. In reality, if the site was being submitted for a project, the community would have to go through this process before the company would commit. It could take months or even years. o Participation in the program does not guarantee success, it guarantees you will receive priority consideration and be more competitive. o In the real world, all projects are profit driven, deadline driven, competitive, comprehensive and risk adverse. The majority of projects/clients are driven by speed-to-market pressure. o After the certification process is completed, the sites would be added to a national registry of properties identified as ready for development. Thank you for your consideration to this request and future development! P.O. Box 4097, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549 - (850)362-6467 Page 2 of 2 Gulf Power Industrial Site Evaluation and Certification Program Program Overview One of the fastest growing trends in the site location business is the demand for project-ready industrial sites. The reason is simple: companies continue to put pressure on the time allowed for making a location decision as well as the time required to start construction and complete the project. As such, the location decision process demands available sites, and those sites need to be ready for development. Companies looking to build new facilities want sites that are ready to go and relatively "risk free." As a result, communities who are seeking to recruit projects need to be prepared to market their sites with a wealth of site-related information and data on their community. Companies are not willing to wait for a community to find an appropriate site and determine its suitability for development. Recognizing this trend, Gulf Power1 initiated a Site Evaluation and Certification Program. To assist with this endeavor, Gulf Power has retained McCallum Sweeney Consulting (MSC), a site selection consulting firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. MSC has executed a number of similar programs around the country. The programs are designed to closely parallel MSC’s site selection projects, with the questionnaires and required support documentation similar to that which is required on their siting projects. The remainder of this document describes the Gulf Power Site Evaluation and Certification Program and process. In addition, a schedule for the program implementation is outlined. Program Objectives The objectives of the Gulf Power Site Evaluation and Certification Program are as follows: • Provide prospects with comprehensive site data and ensure that certain minimum information is available on a site or industrial park; • Assist the communities in determining the marketability of existing sites or industrial parks; and • Certify sites or industrial parks that are ready for industrial development. 1 This is a program of Gulf Power Company Economic Development Fund, Inc., and all references to Gulf Power in this document refers to this entity. Page 1 of 8 Instructions for Submission Phase I: • A Letter of Intent must be submitted to MSC. This letter should be signed by the applicant (the site owner, the director of the local economic development authority, or a county or city elected official). A sample Letter of Intent can be provided. The Letter of Intent must indicate whether the applicant intends to submit as an industrial site or industrial park. The applicant can only choose one category for certification. • Please email the Letter of Intent to both: Lindsey Myers AND John Hutchinson lmyers@mccallumsweeney.com JLHUTCHI@southernco.com Phase II: Site Evaluation. • Fill out the Site and Community Questionnaire and complete all of the bolded items in Items Required for Certification. Please also submit any additional documentation that has been completed to date. • Submit all items in the order requested in the document Items Required for Certification. Please send one hard copy in a 3-ring binder and one electronic copy of the submission to: Lindsey M. Myers McCallum Sweeney Consulting 550 South Main Street, Suite 550 Greenville, SC 29601 Please send a second hard copy in a 3-ring binder and a second electronic copy of the submission to: John Hutchinson Gulf Power One Energy Place Pensacola, FL 32520-0601 • The fee for the Evaluation Phase is $5,500 per site. All fees must be satisfied before MSC will evaluate the application. o For publicly owned, Gulf Power served sites, Gulf Power will pay McCallum Sweeney Consulting the full $5,500 per site. Gulf Power will then invoice the applicant for 50% of the fee as agreed to in the Applicant Acknowledgement. o For privately owned sites, the applicant should submit the $5,500 per site fee with the evaluation application. The check should be made payable to McCallum Sweeney Consulting. Page 2 of 8  • Upon receipt of the information and payment of all fees, MSC will conduct a desktop evaluation of the questionnaire and the required attachments. MSC will contact the applicant to schedule a site visit. Prior to a site visit, MSC will issue a letter to the applicant requesting additional information or clarification of certain items. MSC will conduct a site visit, and additional follow-up information may be requested at that time. Phase III: Site Certification. • The applicant will receive an invitation to participate in Phase III from McCallum Sweeney Consulting. If the applicant elects to move forward with Phase III, MSC will review with the applicant the items required for certification. • Update the Site and Community Questionnaire and complete all of the Items Required for Certification. • Submit all items in the order requested in the document Items Required for Certification. Please resubmit items submitted during Phase II. Please send one hard copy in a 3- ring binder and one electronic copy of the submission to: Lindsey M. Myers McCallum Sweeney Consulting 550 South Main Street, Suite 550 Greenville, SC 29601 Please send a second hard copy in a 3-ring binder and a second electronic copy of the submission to: John Hutchinson Gulf Power One Energy Place Pensacola, FL 32520-0601 • The fee for the Certification Phase is $15,500 per site. All fees must be satisfied before MSC will evaluate the application. o For publicly owned, Gulf Power served sites, Gulf Power will pay McCallum Sweeney Consulting the full $15,500 per site. Gulf Power will then invoice the applicant for 50% of the fee as agreed to in the Applicant Acknowledgement. o For privately owned sites, the applicant should submit the $15,500 per site fee with the certification application. The check should be made payable to McCallum Sweeney Consulting. • Upon receipt of the information and payment of all fees, MSC will conduct an evaluation of the proposal. MSC will issue a letter to the applicant requesting additional information or clarification of certain items, if needed. MSC will also conduct a second site visit if necessary. Page 3 of 8  • Upon completion of all criteria, MSC will deliver a letter indicating that the site is certified as ready for development. This letter will also state the certification expiration date. Industrial Sites and Industrial Parks The Gulf Power Site Evaluation and Certification Program is designed to certify industrial sites and industrial parks. For the purposes of this program, an industrial site is defined as a site that is a minimum of 50 developable2, contiguous acres with the assets (i.e., utilities, transportation, etc.) necessary to support an industrial facility. An industrial park is defined as property that is a minimum of 100 subdividable acres with the assets necessary to support industrial facilities. Impediments to developability (such as a stream, road, utility easement) can exist in an industrial park, provided that there is a single 20-acre, contiguous, developable parcel. Minimum Criteria for Industrial Site Certification Note that the criteria listed below are only the minimum criteria. The documentation that is required for each criteria can be found in the document entitled Items Required for Certification which is provided after MSC has received the Letter of Intent from the applicant. 1. The site must be a minimum of 50 developable, contiguous acres. The configuration of the developable, contiguous acres must be acceptable for a single industrial user. 2. The developable acreage must be located outside of the 100-year flood zone. 3. The site must be available for sale or lease (with a documented price and terms) to prospective industrial investors. If the site is only available for lease, the lease term must be a minimum of 25 years. 4. The site must be zoned appropriately or be able to be rezoned for industrial use within 90 days (if applicable). 5. The site must be directly served or be able to be served within six months by a road that is compatible with standards for tractor-trailer access (80,000 pounds / 20,000 pounds per axle). 6. To market the site as rail-served, the site must be served or be able to be served within 12 months by rail. 7. The site must be served or be able to be served within six months by industrial quality power (a minimum of three-phase electric service). 2 “Developable” acres are those that have no impediments to development, or mitigation for any known impediments can be accomplished in less than 90 days. Environmental contamination issues must be remediated prior to certification. Page 4 of 8 8. The site must be served or be able to be served within six months by natural gas. 9. The site must be served