Iredell commissioners approved up to $3,187,100 over 10 years for Corvid's Mooresville expansion and took a $2 million bid for the old ropes course site.

Iredell County will pay Corvid Technologies up to $3,187,100 over 10 years toward its latest Mooresville expansion. The Board of Commissioners approved the grant unanimously Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The county confirmed that “Project Avatar,” the code name on recent agendas, is Corvid. It announced the vote in its meeting recap for Oct. 20.

At the same meeting, commissioners accepted a $2 million bid for county land at 204 Bluefield Road in Mooresville. They also sent more money to Mooresville Graded School District.

The Corvid grant

The defense contractor plans a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing building at its Mooresville campus. The county’s recap said the company will:

  • invest up to $98 million in capital improvements
  • create at least 170 new jobs, with the potential for up to 423
  • pay those jobs an average of $81,550 a year
  • keep its 394 existing employees

The grant is paid on performance, the county said. Corvid has to meet its targets to receive it. The commissioners held a public hearing first. Public comments about the wage figures came before the vote.

The county’s investment figure is higher than the state’s. Gov. Josh Stein’s office put it at $95 million on Oct. 13, when the state approved a jobs grant of up to $4,449,750 over 12 years. Our story on the state deal has the details.

The Town of Mooresville also had a Project Avatar incentive on its Oct. 19 Board of Commissioners agenda. The town had not posted minutes of that meeting by Sunday, so its decision and the size of its grant are not yet on the record. We will add them when the town publishes them.

$2 million for the old ropes course site

Commissioners accepted a $2 million minimum bid for 204 Bluefield Road. The county described it as “the old ropes course property.” The recap did not name the bidder or say what the buyer plans for the land.

The sale is not final. The board started a 10-day upset bid period. Under North Carolina’s upset bid law, anyone can top the offer within 10 days of the public notice, and each higher bid starts a new 10-day period.

Other decisions

Decision Amount
Extra capital money for Mooresville Graded School District (sales tax true-up) $385,370
Extra capital money for Iredell-Statesville Schools (same true-up) $1,045,850
One-time $1,750 bonus for sworn Sheriff’s Office and detention officers, paid Oct. 30 $399,804 in state funds
Iredell-Statesville Schools design money moved to Parkertown Elementary and Weathers Creek High $500,000 and $1.5 million

Source: Iredell County’s recap of the Oct. 20 meeting.

The board also scheduled two public hearings for Tuesday, Nov. 17:

  • an extension of the $10.5 million bond order for Mitchell Community College’s public safety training facility
  • incentives for another unnamed company, “Project Art”

A hearing on changes to the county personnel ordinance was continued to the same night.

What it means for you

  • Speak at the Nov. 17 hearings. The board meets at 6 p.m. at the Iredell County Government Center in Statesville, about 14 miles north. The board updated its public comment sign-up rules at the Oct. 20 meeting.
  • Watch the Bluefield Road sale. A higher bid in the next 10 days would reopen the process.
  • Join a county board. Vacancies include the Recreation Advisory Board, the Board of Health, the Board of Equalization and Review and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Apply on the county’s website.
  • Property taxes. Our property taxes page explains how the town and county rates work, ahead of the county’s 2027 property reappraisal.