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The town of Norwood could be looking at a new factory in its downtown area funded by a large federal grant.

Jalisco Tortilla is looking to set up a factory on the East Coast called CYES Factory in an 8,000-square-foot facility at 140 N. Main St.

Along with the assistance of Hartigan Management and Norwood town staff, the project originally qualified for a $250,000 Community Block Development Grant  Dec. 13, 2018. However, because of the lack of a full grant submission, the grant was rescinded.

A year later, Norwood Mayor Harold Thompson received a letter saying the town and company could reapply for the grant.

Late last week, the office of Gov. Roy Cooper announced approval of the grant in the same amount.

As per the application, Jalisco will contribute $400,000 to the new factory while the town will add $10,500 and Stanly County will contribute $19,500. The total project, combined with the $250,000 in grant money, amounts to $680,000.

In the description provided on the grant application, the company is looking to follow a model of a plant in the state of Washington which produces organic non-GMO tortillas.

The new factory means 12 new jobs for the town. Town Manager Scott Howard said the new employer stated the company would be aimed at employing individuals in low-income households.

Howard said the town would get some redistributed sales tax off the new factory as well as property taxes.