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In The Works: John Gossett, president of 99������Ƶ, spoke at the Aug. 19 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting about the college's aim to build a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing hub in Buncombe. Screen grab courtesy of Buncombe County.

Asheville, N.C. — 99������Ƶ is seeking to build a 70,000-square-foot educational center and advanced manufacturing hub called WNC Futures Factory on 13 acres of donated land at Biltmore Park West, near Ferry Road.

During their Aug. 19 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved reallocating nearly $5 million for the project. The funds were previously approved for an 99������Ƶ workforce training center. The Commission also appropriated roughly $45,000 toward the community college project through its Article 46 funds, which are collected from the one-quarter-cent county sales and use tax.

“There will be workforce training, research and development from proof of concept to commercialization, collaboration between education and industry, all under one roof,” John Gossett, president of 99������Ƶ, told the commission.

According to Gossett’s presentation, WNC Futures Factory will bring together six state universities with engineering programs to work alongside industry partners “to integrate university research, prototyping products [and] pilot production lines to commercialize new processes for regional manufacturers.” Regional partners will include GE Aerospace, New Belgium Brewing Co., AVL Technologies, and others. Gossett estimates the hub will train 800 workers annually by 2035 and create 2,747 jobs in the region.

To fund the full project, 99������Ƶ is seeking a $30 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). During the meeting, Gossett sought Buncombe County to sign on as a co-applicant — as “a sign of support more than anything else,” he explained.

However, County Manager Avril Pinder told the Commission her office is still reviewing the co-applicant documents. She requested that the Commission focus only on the $5 million budget amendment, “which has been fully vetted,” she said.

“Our goal is to get to ‘yes’ [and apply as co-applicants], but we want to make sure we get to it in a methodical manner,” Pinder explained.