Fast-growing Simpson County is growing its available industrial acreage.

The Franklin-Simpson Industrial Authority announced this week that it has purchased 187 acres near the existing Henderson Industrial Park and will develop the land into a new site called Stone-Givens Industrial Park.

The new park is named for former state Rep. Wilson Stone and state Sen. David Givens. Industrial authority Chairman Gary Broady said the two legislators were instrumental in securing funding for infrastructure in the county’s other industrial parks.

“It is only fitting that our new site be named in their honor,” Broady said in a news release.

Industrial authority Executive Director Dennis Griffin said the site had been farmland but is now zoned industrial.

Griffin said the site is on Ky. 100 about one mile from the interchange with Interstate 65. It is adjacent to Henderson Industrial Park, which is just west of the new development.

The industrial authority has applied for a grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration to help develop roads and other infrastructure in the park.

This development comes on the heels of a July announcement that the industrial authority is receiving $300,000 from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to improve access to Henderson Industrial Park.

That industrial park, home to such employers as Hunt Ford, Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems and Taeyang Metal, has helped fuel the employment boost that has made Simpson County one of Kentucky’s fastest-growing counties.

Simpson County’s population jumped from 17,327 in 2010 to 19,594 in the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

That growth is due largely to employers locating in the county’s Henderson, Sanders Interstate and Wilkey North industrial parks, but those are now at or near capacity.

“The new industrial park is a huge addition for our county,” Simpson County Judge-Executive Mason Barnes said. “We can now offer large tracts of land again to major industries looking to locate in this region. The quality jobs that have been brought by industries to our other parks have led to a lot of positive growth for our county.”

Griffin expects the Stone-Givens Industrial Park to have roads and other infrastructure in place by the summer of 2022.