Commercial Real Estate: The Rise of Limestone County

Limestone County is the fastest growing county in Alabama. Officials estimate the county has added at least 20,000 people from 2011 to 2021, and they say it could be at least another 20,000 in the next 10 years.

Despite the pandemic, most of that growth is and will continue to be on the county’s eastern side, but it’s the whole county that will experience its effects.

On the map Limestone County appears to be in the middle of a golden triangle. At one point, there’s the Shoals area; another point is Nashville; a third for Birmingham; and on the line between Nashville and Birmingham, there’s Huntsville.

Each of those four areas has experienced plenty of growth and opportunity over the last several decades, and its presented Limestone County with a golden opportunity of its own: Grow with them, or wither away as they prosper. 

The new joint venture between automakers Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. has already taken advantage of Limestone County’s “golden triangle”. 

Originally announced in 2018, the state-of-the-art car manufacturing facility is finally expected to open later this year.

The $2.3 billion 3.7-million-square-foot automotive facility is expected to create up to 4,000 jobs and have the capacity to assemble up to 300,000 vehicles a year.

Enter Amazon

The online retail giant plans to open a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Limestone County and is expected to create over 500 jobs in the area.

The state-of-the-art facility is located near the aforementioned Mazda Toyota Manufacturing facility. Amazon said it’s expected to begin production in the fall.

The center will focus on large customer items, such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment and rugs.

“We’re excited to launch operations at our new fulfillment center in Huntsville this fall,” Amazon spokesman Owen Torres said in the announcement. 

“The new fulfillment center will create more than 500 new, full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and comprehensive benefits starting on the first day on the job.”

The influx of new businesses brings growing pains.

There were Limestone County roads that struggled even before the latest growth spurt, and having heavy trucks join commuters and residents on the roads hasn’t helped. 

“Transportation in the areas with the industrial growth has totally changed the scope of the roads,” District 3 Commissioner Jason Black said. 

“Many of the roads already needed attention, but there were just not enough funds to adequately keep up with our failing roads.”

“Dealing with the growth will be a challenge with our existing road funding,” District 3 Commissioner Barksdale said, though he believes his roads are currently able to handle the additional traffic.

Fortunately for Limestone County, the Rebuild Alabama Act invested nearly $1 million into the area, and many of the needed projects involve roads covered by the state. 

On top of that, Limestone County was also one of only four grant recipients announced in May who received help from the state to "emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and take precautions for future disasters," according to a release from the governor's office.

Governor Kay Ivey awarded a $600,000 community development block grant to the county. The award is part of $2.5 million in grants under a special Community Development Block Grant program funded by the federal CARES Act.

The future is bright for Limestone County, especially in the realm of commercial real estate. 

With the addition of two gigantic facilities in Mazda-Toyota and Amazon looming in the distance, as well as the added help from government grants, what’s next for the fast growing county? Only time will tell.

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