Cumberland County in running for $1 billion investment, 450 jobs from American Titanium

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Cumberland County is bidding against others to get a titanium manufacturing plant to call Fayetteville its home.

Leaders in Fayetteville and Cumberland County Commissioners see a gold mine in a 120-acre track of land on Bethune Drive off Ramsey Street.

“We are competing against other states for what could be a large project up there that would be a titanium manufacturer,” said Cumberland Economic Development Corporation CEO Robert Van Geons.

We’re told American Titanium Metal would invest $895 million and employ 300 people by 2028 with salaries of more than $100,000 a year.

To get the bid, Cumberland County and Fayetteville would offer millions of dollars of incentive money over the course of 20 years. Fayetteville would annex the property into the city limits and Public Works Commission (PWC) would run water and power lines to the remote location.

“We know that other communities are competing aggressively for this type of high-quality project,” Van Geons said. “And our local leaders, the city and county, PWC, talking to our folks in the state, we’re really trying to put together the most competitive package possible that will win this deal.”

Both the city and county have planned hearings to get the public input on the incentives they plan to offer.

The public hearing for Cumberland County takes place Monday night in in the County Commissioner chambers at the courthouse.

The city’s public hearing takes place May 28 at city hall.