PITTSBORO — 2023 was a productive year for Chatham County, which experienced unprecedented economic growth, seeing it skyrocket into one of the top ten fastest-growing counties in the state.
At the Dec. 4 Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting, Vice Chair Karen Howard presented a ‘State of the County’ report which detailed the county's economic growth, initiatives and achievements for 2023.
The biggest growth drivers are the Wolfspeed 450-acre site in Siler City and the VinFast 2,000-acre site in Moncure, which both began construction in 2023 and are two of the most significant economic development projects in North Carolina history.
Wolfspeed’s plant, which will employ approximately 1,800 people, will be a significant silicon carbide manufacturer, making Chatham County a key figure in the semiconductor industry.
VinFast’s plant, which will employ approximately 7,500 people, will be the Vietnamese EV maker's first in North America and the first auto assembly plant of any kind in North Carolina.
These projects are leading the way for Chatham’s growth, with a projected pool of 9,000 new jobs and a total investment of $9 billion.
“It is so exciting that the two largest economic development projects in North Carolina history are progressing right here in Chatham County,” Howard said in a press release. “These projects totaling a historic $9 billion in investments will bring tremendous opportunities for our local community and region both for the current workforce and future generations of workers and their families. Additionally, the Board and staff are focused on ensuring that the county’s development is well-monitored and aligns with the long-term vision that Plan Chatham has laid out for Chatham County.”
In conjunction with these projects, Central Carolina Community College has partnered with Wolfspeed and VinFast to create courses and programs to help train residents to fill these new positions.
To better assist this growing workforce training, CCCC is also renovating the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center to create an education center that will be “the largest facility in the state focused on addressing the workforce needs of advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.”
The 22-acre facility, anticipated to start classes in the Fall of 2024, will feature spaces for training in biotechnology, computer-integrated machining, industrial automation, welding, robotics, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and short-term, customized skills training. There will also be soft landing spaces for new and expanding industries undergoing facility construction.
Economic growth also means housing growth. Chatham County saw the rate of construction for single-family homes decrease in 2023, but construction of multi-family units has continued to increase from 72 units permitted in 2022 to nearly 500 in 2023.
In addition, Chatham County awarded over $300,000 in Housing Trust Fund awards in 2023 to help address affordable housing needs.
Other initiatives and projects highlighted for 2023 included the continued expansion of broadband infrastructure, specifically a fiber project in Goldston, the opening of a new emergency operations center, and the completion of the modernization of the Chatham County Schools’ Central Services building.