JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —– CSX has designated the 500-plus acre RailPort Logistics Mobile in Mobile, Ala., as a Platinum CSX Select Site.
Select Sites are development-ready properties along the CSX network. These properties can meet the needs of a wide variety of manufacturers, significantly reducing the time required to construct industrial facilities and ultimately bringing products to market.
The Port of Mobile has been a catalyst for economic development in the Mobile area. The RailPort Logistics Mobile park is close to the port, will receive rail service from CSX, and is less than three miles from two separate Interstate 10 interchanges.
“Alabama and the Gulf Coast are critical to our day-to-day operations as we connect communities across our vast rail network to the global marketplace. The Select Site in Mobile will help drive economic growth locally, create jobs, and offer innovative logistics solutions to the communities in which we live and work,” Christina Bottomley, CSX’s vice president of business development and real estate, said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 30.
In the initial phase of the development, Scannell Properties will focus on approximately 390 acres. Approximately 149 acres are to be set aside for conservation and the remainder is planned for nine industrial buildings, at least four of which will have rail service by CSX. Scannell Properties has plans to invest approximately $15 million for transportation infrastructure upgrades that will also benefit the neighboring Todd Acres Industrial Park.
CSX introduced the Select Site program in 2012 to better serve new and existing customers on its network and those of its short line partners. CSX works with Austin Consulting to screen candidate sites and assist communities with the application and certification process.
To receive the Platinum CSX Select Site designation, the location must meet a rigorous list of criteria, including infrastructure and utility availability, environmental reviews, appropriate zoning and entitlement, air quality permitting, rail serviceability, proximity to highways or interstates, and other attributes.
Since their roll out in 2012, Select Sites have attracted dozens of manufacturers, with capital investments projected to reach $17.7 billion and realize nearly 14,000 new jobs.
The RailPort Logistics Mobile site is now the fourth site in Alabama to have received the Platinum CSX Select Site designation since 2012.
Wondering how much track improvements paid for in part by Amtrak play in this decision?
That’s a good question George. I suspect it definitely played a role. And the sad part is that Amtrak has yet to and may never turn a revenue wheel out of Mobile.
Maybe this is part of the “rest of the story” why the negotiations were contentious. lengthy and conducted secretly.