JDA reviews progress on Rivian construction

By Jim Thompson – the Walton Tribune

For the first time since construction began, members of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties have gotten a bird’s-eye view of progress on the Rivian electric vehicle manufacturing facility now under construction in Stanton Springs, the mixed-use industrial development off Interstate 20 near Social Circle overseen by the authority.

The view came courtesy of video footage from a drone flown over the site on Sept. 21 by the Development Authority of Walton County, which recently has been making those flights monthly.

The JDA’s Sept. 22 meeting, though, marked the first time that group had seen one of the flyover videos. At the authority’s request, video from future monthly flyovers will be shared with JDA members as a means of allowing them to see progress at the 2,000-acre site along and near U.S. Highway 278.

The most prominent feature of the flyover shown to the JDA on Sept. 22 were two large holes dug into the earth and covered in metallic material. Shane Short, president and CEO of the Development Authority of Walton County, identified the two areas as the beginnings of “stamping pits” — deep, reinforced concrete foundations built into the floors of manufacturing facilities to house stamping presses. Stamping presses are massive metalworking machines that use extreme force to shape or cut sheet metal.

Stamping pits bring stamping presses, which can extend many feet below a factory floor, to a height that is comfortable for workers to access and that doesn’t require abnormally high ceilings. Stamping pits can also provide workers with access to the below-ground-level workings of a stamping press.

Short pointed out that cranes have been positioned next to the stamping pits, and told JDA members that is an indication that Rivian is “getting ready to bring in some heavy equipment for construction.”

Other prominent features of the drone flyover video included views of two “pads” — graded areas where buildings will be located — along with some road grading and the electrical power substation that was about the only installation on the site when ground was broken for the Rivian plant a little more than a year ago, on Sept. 16, 2025.

Rivian has previously announced that it is set to begin “vertical construction” by the end of this year. Vertical construction refers to the raising of steel and concrete framework at an industrial site.

Rivian plans to begin vehicle construction at the Stanton Springs manufacturing facility in 2028. The plant will produce the new Rivian R2 sport-utility vehicle, a mid-size vehicle that will join the company’s R1 full-size SUV, which also is available as a pickup truck. Rivian had planned an initial production of 200,000 vehicles per year at the Stanton Springs facility, but the company announced recently that it now plans to produce 300,000 R2s annually at the plant.

Rivian’s R1 vehicles are priced in the $70,000 range, while the R2, depending on the version chosen, is slated to range from the mid-$40,000s to nearly $60,000. The R2 Launch Package, available now, starts at $57,990. The R2 Premium, set to be available by the end of this year, is slated to start at $53,990, while the R2 Standard, scheduled for rollout in the first half of next year, will carry a starting price of $48,490.