Madison County is buzzing over a potential ‘mega site’ project and the promise of more jobs

For several years, a large tract of farmland in Madison County, right off Interstate 75 in between Richmond and Berea, has sat vacant. But a flurry of recent movement on the 1,400-acre site and murmurs about its future point to a huge economic development project potentially happening there.

Recent actions by the city government of Richmond, as well as speculation — and an unusual dose of silence — among local power brokers and officials on what’s going on, indicate a major employer could be circling the property, the Herald-Leader has learned.

The strategic parcel sits in between Richmond and Berea adjacent to the new Buc-ee’s gas station and store. It’s owned by Begley Properties, a real estate company based in London, Kentucky.

The city secured an option-to-purchase agreement last week on 403 acres of the property with the explicit purpose to “lure and entice large industry offering high wage employment” to build on the “mega site development.”

A previous option to purchase agreement had been reached on another piece of the same property earlier this year, with the same purpose advertised.

Last month, city officials also had finalized an annexation and zone change on a parcel of the land, which is billed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development as one of the largest “shovel ready” sites in the state.” The site touches three corners of Exit 83 on I-75, with the largest contiguous tract to the southeast of the intersection at 1,035 acres.

“The hope is that the city attracts some type of large industry out there… Currently it’s unknown what may happen with the property, but the request is to zone it agriculture,” city Codes Enforcement Director Philip Williams said at Richmond Planning Commission meeting in August.

“If there’s no development plan, the property is usually zoned agriculture, and we hold it there.”

Richmond City Manager Rob Minerich told the Herald-Leader that “several different industries” have visited the site since the city’s first option to purchase agreement.

“We have no confirmation from any large industry, but we have had several different industries visit. We are excited for the potential, but we have no confirmation of specific companies for the site.”

After being contacted by a reporter, Minerich sent a message out to elected officials emphasizing that no commitments have yet been made to develop the site.

“Richmond Utilities vision to invest $75 million dollars over the past 15 years in water and sewer projects and East Kentucky Power’s investment in upgrading electric needs has made this property one of Kentucky’s premier sites for new industry. Although we’ve hosted several site visits from large industry that are encouraging, we don’t have any commitments at this time,” Minerich told officials.

No incentives have been awarded to any project on the site, and no purchase has been finalized.

The moves come as chatter in the community speculating about a “very large” development has increased.

“We (Madison County) are growing so fast and in so many directions. There is something – you’ve got Buc-ees out there now – I’ve heard two or three people talking about. Something large coming out there, very large. I don’t know what it is, but it’s gonna bring some jobs,” Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison told the Herald-Leader last week.

Madison County Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor did not offer comment on a potential project. Calls to Begley Properties have not been returned.

The properties are valued around $40.6 million, according to the Madison County Property Value Administrator. Begley Properties began buying land in the area in 2011 with a $21.2 million acquisition of a 362-acre property on three corners of Exit 83.

A spokesperson for the administration of Gov. Andy Beshear couldn’t comment on “specific new job announcements,” but expressed confidence about future economic development.

“Gov. Beshear and his administration are in daily conversations with world-class companies about locating to Kentucky,” Beshear spokesperson Crystal Staley wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader.

“Gov. Beshear has already secured the best two-year period for economic growth and announced the two largest economic development projects in state history – and Kentuckians should expect to see many more wins being announced by the governor in the months and years ahead,”

Economic development is a strategic element in Beshear’s re-election bid against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Earlier this year, in a story submitted to the Richmond Register newspaper, the city of Richmond touted its option to purchase agreement on a 600-acre piece of the Begley-owned property as a way to “strengthen (its) competitive edge.”

Minerich is quoted in the February article stating the purchase option allows the city to jointly market “what is now the premier industrial megasite in Kentucky.”

“In recent months, several large industrial and manufacturing employers have chosen to locate in Kentucky. This momentum is ongoing as other prospects are continuing to search for large megasite properties throughout the state and region. Many of the property searches involve the construction of large buildings in a campus-style setting that megasites can provide,” he said.

The article also mentions the site has rail access. A CSX Corporation railroad line runs along the eastern edge of the property.

According to Cabinet for Economic Development records, a full environmental study took place and was sent to the city in April. It found no serious deficiencies with the property.

The more recent option to purchase agreement on 403 acres of the property, as well as the re-zoning and annexation of 125 acres on the property, was finalized at the last Richmond City Commission meeting in late September.

Local officials are publicly hinting to the prospect of economic development there. Mayor Blythe, when joining a vote to reappoint members to the Richmond Utility Board, made reference to the work of that group in preparing the property.

“I always remind them that their vision and that of their predecessors is what has placed us in the position – (a local development official) mentioned the acreage on Exit 83. The vision of those folks back then positioned us, as far as the infrastructure is concerned, to be ready for these things,” Blythe said.

The Cabinet for Economic Development page advertising the property touts the fact that it’s “fully equipped with utilities and critical infrastructure.”

According to maps produced by the state, a majority of the electric service area for the site lies in the territory of Blue Grass Energy Cooperative. That group is a member of the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, an organization owned by 16 smaller nonprofit co-ops around the state. It provides power to more than 1.1 million people.

The land owner, Begley Properties, is a family-run business in London. Registered agents at the business, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office, are George Begley, James Begley and Curtis Asher of London.

Members of that family also run a lumber business, Begley Lumber Co., in Leslie County.

James and George Begley have given $36,100 and $32,100 in political donations over the course of several years, almost exclusively to Republican politicians, public records show.

What could it mean?

Development on the site would mean more growth for an already-growing Madison County. With roughly 95,000 residents, Madison County is one of the top 10 fastest growing counties in the state. From 2010 to 2020, per the U.S. Census, the county population rose by nearly 12%.

The county is also something of a political bellwether in the state, having closely predicted the statewide result for several recent elections.

The total acreage of the site, 1,417, is close to that of the land now being developed by Ford Motor Co. and Korea-based SK Innovations in Hardin County as part of a $5.8 billion investment to manufacture electric vehicle batteries.

That project is expected to employ around 5,000 people. It’s the largest economic development project announced in state history. State incentives on that project total up to $286 million.

The Beshear administration held a huge event for the announcement of the Ford/SK Innovations on the steps leading into the state Capitol. The governor held another large event in the Capitol for a 2,000-job, $2 billion electric vehicle battery project coming to Bowling Green.

His campaign has used those splashy announcements as an argument that he should be re-elected.

Depending on the size of the project at the Begley property, an announcement could change the shape of the gubernatorial race, one the Kentucky’s most high-stakes and expensive campaigns in recent history.

University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss, who studies voter behavior and has researched economic development’s relationship with politics, said there’s “almost no downside to economic development” for incumbent candidates.

A couple caveats, Voss said, are that positive voter response to economic development is likely to be more localized and that the political “payoff” for economic development largely comes when voters start to see change. That can often take years to happen after an initial announcement is made.

There could be an added benefit to Beshear’s narrative, though, if a potential new project is related to the electric vehicle industry.

“Reinforcement of a message helps a politician,” Voss said.

“There’s sort of this theme, and people are seeing multiple developments that seem to be moving Kentucky into an industry of the future. Any one of them in isolation, maybe (doesn’t matter) so much. But if you start to have this drumbeat – futuristic industry related to energy, futuristic industry related to electric vehicles – once you get a pattern like that, it makes it easier for a message to penetrate to people who usually aren’t very aware.”

In several posts to social media and in speeches, Beshear has boasted of the progress Kentucky has made in the electric vehicle and electric vehicle battery production industry.

“We’ve announced 21 electric vehicle projects since I took office, representing more than $10.9 billion in investment and the creation of more than 10,372 full-time jobs for Kentuckians. We are the EV battery production capital of the U.S.,” Beshear recently posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Herald-Leader reporters Bill Estep and Taylor Six contributed to this story.