Buncombe County officials have announced that aerospace company Pratt & Whitney, a division of Raytheon Technologies Corp., is behind the mysterious development known as Project Ranger, a one million-square-foot site that includes a brand new bridge across the French Broad River near I-26.

The company will invest over $650 million and create 800+ jobs at their new manufacturing facility through 2027. That’s a big deal – it’s the single largest job creation project in the county’s history.

Here are the details –

Pratt & Whitney specializes in the design, manufacture + service of aircraft and helicopter engines and auxiliary power units. Its parent company, Raytheon, provides advanced systems and services for clients in commercial, military and government sectors across the world.
The 1 million-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility will be built on 100 acres in south Buncombe County developed by Biltmore Farms. It's part of Biltmore Farms' 1,000-acre master plan development for the area, known as Biltmore Park West.
Access to the facility will be via a new five-lane bridge that will cross the French Broad River and connect to NC Hwy 191. The Golden LEAF Foundation, an economic development group, awarded $12 million in funding for the bridge’s construction to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Community Betterment Foundation.
Hiring will start in late 2021, and jobs will pay an average of $68,000 – about 60% higher than the current average wage in Buncombe County. Jobs will be in areas like engineering, technology, production + management.
That should translate into about $54 million in annual new labor income for Buncombe County + the Asheville Metro Region.