The 5 Things Smart Developers Lock Down Before the New Year: How to De-Risk Your 2026 Build
- Post by FCIDA
- November 11, 2025
The 5 Things Smart Developers Lock Down Before the New Year
How to De-Risk Your 2026 Build
As 2025 winds down, industrial real estate developers across the country are facing the same high-stakes questions:
- Where can we break ground in Q2 without delays or cost overruns?
- How do we offer our tenants more value without compromising our margins?
- Where can we find infrastructure-ready land, streamlined approvals, and workforce certainty?
At the Fulton County Industrial Development Agency (FCIDA), our mission is to promote economic growth, job creation, and private investment by helping developers and businesses move faster, more confidently, and with lower risk. And right now, November is the critical window to lock in the pieces that set your 2026 projects up for success.
Here are the five most important things smart developers are securing before the new year—and how FCIDA can help you check every box.
1. Truly Shovel-Ready Land with Infrastructure in Place
What developers need:
- Clear utility access (power, water, sewer, gas, broadband)
- Graded, zoned, and buildable lots
- No hidden environmental or permitting hurdles
How FCIDA delivers:
- Sites like Tryon Technology Park and Johnstown Industrial Park come pre-equipped with key infrastructure
- Zoning and environmental reviews are pre-cleared or accelerated
- Site data, utility schematics, and access maps are available upfront—no guesswork
2. Fast-Track Approvals That Align with Your Capital Timeline
What developers need:
- Entitlement predictability
- Transparent permitting steps
- A single point of contact who gets things done
How FCIDA delivers:
- 60–90 day streamlined approvals
- Coordinated engagement with local municipalities, planners, and utility providers
- Proactive support from application to ribbon-cutting—not just “file and wait”
3. Incentive Packages That Actually Move the Needle
What developers need:
- Tools to lower long-term tax liabilities and construction costs
- Lease structure flexibility for tenant attraction
- Incentives that don’t create legal or timeline friction
How FCIDA delivers:
- 10-Year PILOT program (50% tax exemption in Year 1, decreasing 5% annually)
- Sales tax exemptions (8% on materials and equipment)
- 1% Mortgage Recording Tax exemption
- Support with NYS Excelsior Jobs Program and FastNY for additional capital stack options
4. Post-Construction Partnership That Supports Leasing and Expansion
What developers need:
- Regional economic development partners who market the space
- Data and materials to help attract and close tenants
- Flexibility for future phases or tenant-specific adjustments
How FCIDA delivers:
- Active post-build support with marketing, press, and prospecting
- Workforce development programs tailored to tenant industries
- Support for phased builds, build-to-suits, and vertical expansion planning
5. Proof That the Region is Invested in Your Success
What developers need:
- Confidence in the leadership and long-term vision of the region
- Signs that other businesses are growing here successfully
- A clear sense of what it means to build a repeatable model in a community
How FCIDA delivers:
- A proven track record of guiding successful projects from concept to operation
- A community that’s invested in job creation and industrial growth
- Properties that have gone from tax-exempt to tax-contributing, with lasting local benefit
Ready to Build Smarter in 2026? Let’s Talk Now.
We know what it takes to make industrial development work: speed, clarity, infrastructure, and partnership. At FCIDA, we don’t just offer incentives. We offer trust, transparency, and momentum.
If you’re evaluating markets for your next project, let’s schedule a confidential site discovery call this month. The groundwork you lay before December 31 could be the difference between a smooth Q2 groundbreaking—or another year of waiting.
Explore Fulton County, NY. Build with confidence.
Let’s take the complexity off your plate. Schedule a confidential consult with Fulton County IDA — or email us at info@fcida.org.