Mega Sites are comprised of large contiguous tracts of land that are typically located in suburban to rural areas close to major transportation infrastructure, public utilities, and a large supply of high-quality workers to serve the new facility and its key suppliers. Mega sites are choice locations for big industrial operations and should be as close to shovel-ready status as possible. They range from several hundred to several thousand acres and can encompass an industrial district, business park, research park, science park, commercial district, tourist park or a combination of these.

Tech MegaPark land use is a technology sector-based megasite that supports industry targets including cybersecurity, aerospace and defense, robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, genetics, pharmaceuticals, and production of lithium batteries, superconductors, and microchips. These sites consist of large tracts of land supported by reliable transportation infrastructure, high nearby population centers, a surrounding skilled workforce and academic/research institutions, and strong fiber connectivity. A large expanse of developable area provides space to integrate an array of collaborative facilities and quality of life amenities including training centers, academic satellite campuses, business incubation, workforce and executive housing, food and retail services, and parks and recreation features. 

Solar Sites are potential renewable energy sources for power generation diversification that may serve as important assets to a growing economy while contributing to environmental stewardship. Utility-scale solar farms should be in proximity to interconnection points along high-capacity transmission lines or substations lines to meet energy demands. Our SSI Solar Core Suitability Models estimate site potential power generation capacity to yield an estimated range of megawatts per acre. As a minimum of 500 contiguous buildable acres is ideal, SSI solar sites encompass large tracts of land that are not wet or heavily sloped while including buffers to residential development or culturally sensitive areas.

Data Centers are facilities that centralize an organization's shared IT operations and equipment for the purposes of collecting, processing, storing, distributing, and enabling access to data. As data has become the most important asset to businesses in an increasingly digitized economy, data centers must be protected with a robust and reliable support infrastructure. Data center site locations should be in proximity to substations and high-capacity electric lines and are ideally at least 500 acres. Avoiding vibration from railroad operations is considered, however, engineered facilities with dampening solutions may lessen this concern. An ideal hub for data storage includes qualities such as a business-friendly environment, abundance of infrastructure resources, availability of skilled labor, and growing technology sectors.

Heavy Industrial locations produce items to be sold to other industrial customers rather than the end customer, making it a part of the supply chain of other products. Heavy industry involves one or more of the following characteristics: large and heavy products, large and heavy equipment and facilities, or complex and numerous processes. Because of these factors, heavy industrial sites have higher acreage & environmental/cultural impact.

Light Industrial sites involve industries that are usually less capital-intensive than heavy industry and require fewer raw materials, space, and power. Most light industry products are produced for end users rather than as intermediates for use by other industries. Light industry facilities typically have less environmental impact than those associated with heavy industry and therefore tend to have less restrictive location factors.

Heavy Agribusiness includes a wide variety of operations/facilities involved with agricultural production, processing, and distribution. Some examples of agribusiness include seed and agrichemical production, animal feed production, bioenergy generation from biofuels and biomass, and pulp/timber mills. Heavy agribusiness sites are differentiated from general agribusiness in that they can support more intensive projects and have rail-served capacity.

General Agribusiness includes a wide variety of operations/facilities involved with agricultural production, processing, and distribution. Some examples of agribusiness include seed and agrichemical production, animal feed production, bioenergy generation from biofuels and biomass, and pulp/timber mills. Geneal agribusiness sites are typically better suited to smaller agribusiness operations.

Distribution Freight/Logistics centers are an integral part of the nation’s supply chain, performing processes by which goods are collected, transported, and distributed. Involved within a system of suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors to retailers, distribution freight/logistics centers may perform consolidation, warehousing, packaging, decomposition, and other functions that contribute to supplying goods to the demand of consumers and supporting the national economy.

R&D/Technology Park land use classification defines a property intended to promote innovation and competitiveness for its associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions. These parks promote technology-led economic development for the community or region by supporting the share of knowledge and innovation and progressing research outcomes to viable commercial products. Science parks can also contribute to national economic growth by stimulating the formation of new high-technology firms, attracting foreign investment, and promoting exports.

Business Park/Medical land use classification defines an area of land dedicated to business or medical buildings, offering premises that may be used to combine adequate space with excellent facilities. These parks are beneficial to businesses or medical facilities as they are surrounded by like-minded professionals that work together to stimulate growth and take advantage of the site’s infrastructural, environmental, and cultural features.