CSX designates Alabama industrial park 'platinum' Select Site status

CSX today announced that the 365-acre Westgate Super Site in Dothan, Alabama, has been designated as a Platinum CSX Select Site.

Select Sites are development-ready properties along the CSX network where standard land use considerations and comprehensive due diligence items have been previously addressed.

The Dothan region is emerging as one of the most competitive manufacturing corridors in the country, said Christina Bottomley, vice president of real estate and industrial development at CSX, in a press release.

With its Platinum CSX Select Site designation, the Westgate Super Site is positioned to attract high-value industrial investment that can strengthen domestic supply chains, create quality jobs and accelerate long-term economic growth, Bottomley said.

The Westgate Super Site is the fifth site in Alabama to have received the Platinum CSX Select Site designation since 2012. The property is one of 33 across CSX’s service territory to have met a rigorous site selection criteria.

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. The Class I works with Austin Consulting, a national site-selection consulting firm, 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 and proximity to highways.

Since the program rolled out, Select Sites have attracted dozens of manufacturers, with capital investments projected to reach $16.2 billion and realize nearly 13,000 new jobs, according to CSX.