The Chatham County Commissioners have unanimously voted to approve an incentives package to expand the Townsend Processing Facility that will add over 700 jobs in Siler City.

In May, Mountaire Farms announced they would purchase the former Townsend Processing Facility in Siler City for renovation. The cost would be $70 million for its opening in February 2018.

In 2011, the Townsend plant closed, resulting in 550 workers being laid off.

After a presentation by Mountaire Vice President Mike Tirrell, Commissioner Walter Petty immediately made a motion to approve a local incentives package worth $2.3 million over six years.

“There’s a lot of family farms that were devastated by the Townsend closing,” said Petty. “This will help reestablish the security of some of these family farms. I think it’s good for Chatham County. I think it’s good for the farmers. I think it would be good for the employees located in the county.”

Tirrell says the entire facility is gutted at this point.

“Right now, we’re knocking down the pieces that are of no use to us,” said Tirrell. “The wires are out. The pipes are out. It’s just a concrete shell. We’re making big rocks into little rocks right now to haul away. Then, we’re going to build a state-of-the-art food processing facility in that location.”

The estimated increase for property tax revenue would be $428,903.

When Mountaire announced plans for the project in May, the original projection was for around 500 jobs to be created. Now, that’s been revised, according to Kyle Touchstone, the President of the Chatham Economic Development Corporation.

“There will be 700 new employees with $19.5 million in annual wages that they’re estimating at this point,” said Touchstone. “The analysis is showing exactly $188 million in estimated sales.”

The multiplied economic activity generated by both project’s sales, employees and salaries will bring in an additional $505,124 in estimated local tax revenue annually.

Mountaire is a Delaware-based poultry processing plant that runs a similar plant south of Fayetteville.

Related Stories
‹
Mountaire Cuts Ribbon on New Chatham County Facility
Mountaire Farms celebrated a ribbon cutting Tuesday officially opening a new $170 million processing plant in Siler City. The ribbon cutting comes nearly three years after Mountaire announced that it had acquired the former Townsend chicken processing plant, which closed in 2011 after having been a large employer in the area. Chatham County Commissioners then […]
Chatham County Resident Charged Following Seizure of Drugs in Briar Chapel, Gibsonville
A Briar Chapel resident faces several felony drug charges following the search of his home earlier in February. A release shared by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said deputies arrested and charged 31-year-old Christopher Markham on Feb. 11 after searching his residence alongside investigators with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office. The search led […]
2026 Candidate Introductions: Democratic Primaries for the Chatham County Board of Commissioners
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners sees contested Democratic primaries in Districts 3 and 5 seats on the ballot for this spring.
Chatham County Roundup: Commissioner Karen Howard
Chatham County Commissioner Karen Howard spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, February 17, discussing county news and events. She discussed the county commissioners' recent decision to place a moratorium on the construction of data centers in Chatham County. She also talked about the most recent meeting of the county commissioners, which saw the board giving the go ahead to the creation of a new park near Moncure, and more.
'24/7 Surveillance': Residents Voice Privacy Concerns for Pittsboro's Flock License-Plate Cameras
Some Chatham County residents are speaking out against Pittsboro’s use of Flock license-plate cameras, citing privacy concerns. The surveillance technology by Flock Safety largely aims to help local police identify suspects and locate missing persons by taking still images of a vehicle’s “distinguishing features,” including the license plate. Although it has been two years since […]
Chatham County Roundup: Former Pittsboro Mayor and Host of "On The Porch" Randy Voller
Host of "On The Porch" on 97.9 The Hill and former Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Thursday, February 12. He discussed recent news from Chatham County, including the county commissioners' decision to put a moratorium on construction of AI datacenters in the county. He also discussed recent real estate trends in the area, conversations with local leaders running for reelection, and more.
Local Government Meetings: February 9-13, 2025
This week in local government: residents in Chatham County push back against Flock license-plate cameras and AI data centers.
2026 Candidate Introductions: Democratic Primary for U.S. House - NC-09
NC-09 has long been a Republican stronghold. This spring, four Democrats are running for the chance to face longtime U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson on the November ballot.
Chatham County Sheriff: Georgia Man Charged After Forging Check
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is charging a Georgia man with multiple felonies in connection with a forged check, cashed outside North Carolina, tied to funds stolen from a Chatham County resident. The sheriff’s office says it first received a report about the forged check on Jan. 10. Investigators then reviewed a check-cashing transaction for […]
Haw River Assembly Shares Annual Report on Health of the Watershed, Issues Facing It
In February, the Haw River Assembly will host several opportunities for the community to hear updates on the state of the watershed.
›