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CSX Corp.'s year-old industrial park development program is about to begin paying dividends. On Jan. 29, public and private partners will begin improving the site of a 400-acre industrial park in Southampton County, Va., adjacent to a CSX Transportation mainline — the first project to be developed under CSX's "Parks for Growth" program.

The program is designed to encourage joint public/private development of industrial sites located near CSXT lines. To participate, a city or county must control a properly zoned site, conduct an environmental assessment and build local support for a project. The local government also must employ a full-time economic development staff, and have on file a marketing plan and labor study.

"When a community completes the program, it will be prepared to welcome a rail-served business with all required amenities," said CSXT Industrial Development Director Jim Bradshaw in a prepared statement. "The result will be mutually beneficial, where the community increases high-quality job opportunities and their tax base, and CSXT gains additional business."

In December, Southampton County rezoned the site and secured an option on the property — the project's final hurdle. The site is located less than a mile from a major four-lane highway that leads to several ports and interstates.