by Beth Friedrich, Beth Buckner and Sarah White
Site certification is the recognition, through a defined process that meets a series of requirements, that a particular site is ready for development. The prevalence of site certification programs is a defining characteristic of today’s competitive site selection process, where avoiding risk is at a premium and speed-to-market can determine the success or failure of a business.
Pre-qualified sites have become a prevalent tool in business recruitment efforts because they can present interested companies with decision-making information up front — from zoning to entitlements, utility availability to environmental assessments, and quite a bit in between. What used to be considered nice-to-haves have quickly become expected by many prospective companies.
Site certification programs have become so prevalent that they have popped up across the country, with national, statewide and industry programs offering a range of certifications, qualifications and requirements that can even overlap on a site. Site readiness programs have changed over the decades since New York’s Build Now New York program in the late 1990s.
Evolution of a Site Program: One State’s History
Traditionally, there has not been a national standard for certification, and programs continue to vary. The recent establishment of the Site Selectors Guild REDI Site program in June 2024 has attempted to set a national standard for what it means to be “investment ready,” and has seen continued growth of participants, with 75 currently enrolled in the program. But most states still offer some variation of their own site program.
North Carolina became one of the first states in the country to offer a statewide certification program in 2001 and later joined the ranks of other states that were actively enhancing their site readiness in 2022. After a round of large manufacturing announcements consumed most of their existing inventory of available megasites, the North Carolina General Assembly created twin programs, first with the Megasites Readiness Program, and then, in 2023, the Selectsite Readiness Program. Both programs were housed within Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), with a directive to identify and support the development of properties of 1,000+ acres and less than 1,000 acres, respectively, for potential manufacturing opportunities.
The North Carolina Selectsite Fund was itself further refined by law in 2025, allowing any funds that remained unspent in the original Selectsite process to identify and evaluate up to five and not less than three Selectsites located in counties declared a major disaster area as a result of Hurricane Helene. Such targeting indicates the usefulness and versatility of established site readiness programs for states beyond their original purpose.
An Imperfect Tool
Even with plenty of national, industry-based or otherwise developed site certification programs available, a common thread remains — there are no sites without risks. Additionally, a company’s risk tolerance will vary from project to project. If a project has very specific technical needs, such as deepwater access, there will likely need to be more tradeoffs considered, whereas another company with more minimal requirements may not be willing to compromise anything on the property.
Post-purchase site challenges can stem from any number of issues including (but not limited to) out-of-date inspections or appraisals, inadequate due diligence and hidden, long-term issues. Companies should not solely rely on site certification processes but also verify the credentials of the inspectors and brokers presenting the information, perform their own due diligence (which may include structural or environmental reviews) and, as an extra precautionary measure, consult with a real estate attorney or a specialized firm that focuses on the evaluation of site readiness.
Also, programs must continue to adapt to the market’s needs. Some challenges are too big to ignore, such as access to reliable and scalable electricity capacity. This challenge has been the driver of projects in recent years. Escalating load requirements — driven largely by the rapid expansion of data centers — have shifted the competitive landscape, sidelining otherwise well-positioned sites simply due to insufficient power availability. In many cases, projects have been pursuing power first and sites second, with developers prioritizing electrical capacity over traditional due diligence metrics or readiness benchmarks. However, as data center operators increasingly explore on-site generation and alternative energy strategies to meet their needs, the balance may begin to shift back. This transition has the potential to re-center site readiness as a differentiator, reinforcing the value of proactive preparation, comprehensive documentation and infrastructure certainty in an increasingly power-constrained market.
Finally, even a perfect site cannot overcome the challenges of a project that fails or collapses of its own accord. Projects that fail to launch, or that fold at a later date, can occur when manufacturing contracts do not materialize, cash flow issues occur, markets change or a new competitor arises. States that find themselves in the position of having a site returned to them after such a project failure can more quickly get the site back on the market if it has an existing site certification program to receive it. By cataloguing previous infrastructure improvements, permits and other evaluations performed for the previous occupant, site certification programs can repackage such existing sites and market the property past its previous hiccup.
Critical Players
Site certifications can be powerful marketing tools for communities and landowners, helping elevate properties onto the radar of site selectors and corporate decision-makers. However, the underlying documentation — environmental due diligence, infrastructure capacity, zoning and schedule certainty — helps differentiate a property. Every project has its own unique requirements, so while a platinum-certified site may excel on paper, a bronze-certified site with unique attributes such as rail access or surplus water capacity may ultimately present a more compelling opportunity for further exploration.
As companies evaluate an increasingly complex set of variables during the site selection process, speed-to-market remains a critical driver, particularly for industrial projects where delays carry impactful financial consequences. While many competitive factors remain outside a community’s control, site readiness is one area where proactive investment can yield measurable results. By advancing sites through certification and readiness programs, communities can position themselves to compete more effectively and convert prospect interest into employer investment.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Beth Buckner, based in Charlotte, and Beth Friedrich, based in Raleigh, lead Moore & Van Allen PLLC’s North Carolina-headquartered Economic Development & Incentives practice. Sarah White is principal and vice president of site selection at Global Location Strategies, based in Greenville, South Carolina.