WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – When computer chip maker Micron builds its new mega campus near Syracuse, there will be economic ripple effects and the north country wants to be ready.
Micron’s investment could be as much as $100 billion, creating as many as 9,000 jobs.
When a giant company like that moves in, smaller suppliers follow and local officials are promoting Jefferson County as a place to put up a plant or build new housing.
It may be 80 miles away, but Michelle Capone with the Development Authority of the North Country says the county going to feel the microchip manufacturer’s presence.
“So with that 80-mile distance between Clay and the north country here, I think we have a lot of opportunities to both house the people that are going to need to work for Micron as well as being home to some of the vendors that we’ll need to support Micron,” she said.
Why are folks expected to flock to the north country? It’s a lot more affordable.
“Looking at the Clay area, the land prices are going to increase dramatically. It’s going to make moving outside of the Central New York area vital to some of these companies,” said Capone.
Local economic officials are using this marketing to promote the region to companies and investors who may follow Micron.
According to Marshall Weir with Jefferson County Economic Development, it could include Micron workers who would commute from the north country.
“It might be faster to get to especially the southern part of Jefferson County to get to Clay than it would be to get to the southern part of Onondaga County,” he said.
Eventually, empty plots of land could become multi-family apartments or even house facilities that Micron would rely on.
“It would be something in their supply chain. It could be from a construction perspective. It could be part of their materials processes,” said Weir.
With plenty of properties ripe for development, Capone says folks can look to Fort Drum as a guideline for how the north country can foster a relationship with Micron
“We want those people to come up to the north country. We want them to spend their dollars there. It’s really no different than our soldiers and the wonderful families that move here to work at Fort Drum,” she said.
With construction slated to start in Clay next year, it may only be a matter of time before things start picking up in the north country.
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