Rock Hill mayor on what’s next for the city after big Octapharma, Novant deals
Bioparhma company Octapharma and Novant Health give Rock Hill two massive redevelopment opportunities for Palmetto Research Park, the site off Interstate 77 and Exit 81 once intended to be the headquarters for the Carolina Panthers.
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Octapharma and Novant don’t, however, fill the entire property.
Rock Hill owns 215 acres at Exit 81. The city advertises Palmetto Research Park as 209 acres, with 109 acres of developable property. Listings also show non-city-owned acreage to the north, about 50 acres, that could potentially factor into development plans.
Octapharma and Novant, combined, will take up 75 acres.
The Herald caught up Friday with Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys, just ahead of the Octapharma project going public on Monday, to find out what the city should expect next at Palmetto Research Park.
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He talked about how the city got to this point with two large buyers, how economic development and education opportunities prime this area for life sciences companies and why other parts of Rock Hill might get them, too.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 6:37 PM with the headline “Rock Hill mayor on what’s next for the city after big Octapharma, Novant deals.”
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