Carbon County could become a refuge for businesses that can't find space in the burgeoning real estate market in the Lehigh Valley.

Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors visited the northern part of the county last week to learn more about business opportunities here, thanks to the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp.The visit centered around a visit to the yet-undeveloped Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone, or KOEZ, in Kidder Township, where a natural gas compressor station is proposed as part of the multistate PennEast Pipeline project.But they also wanted to show that the entire county is open for business."There are a few Realtors who have never been here before. Others have vacation homes, or family here. Some haven't been here for years and they're surprised how we've grown," said Kathy Henderson, Economic Development Director for the Carbon Chamber.Blue Ridge Real Estate owns thousands of acres in Kidder. About 350 acres of that, straddling Route 940, are being marketing to groups specializing in warehousing and distribution centers. Seventy acres are expected to be home to the PennEast compressor station.The property was designated as a KOEZ in 2013. The program was aimed at boosting jobs by forgiving local taxes for businesses, and it has since been canceled.If a business decided to build on the Kidder site, they would not have to pay property taxes on until December 2023.The KOEZ, and the county as a whole, got rave reviews from the Realtors."Carbon County is pro-growth, that property is well positioned. I think it's only a matter of time before you see some serious activity up here. That's my feeling," said Bobby Papageorgiou, an agent with Emerald Realty.The Valley's growth - in the form of warehousing and distribution centers. But real estate agents say the once seemingly endless inventory is starting to dry up."There's a lot of growth going on in Lehigh and Northampton counties, almost to the point where there's not a lot left. So we're seeing a lot of spillover and movement into Carbon County," Matt Marks, government affairs director for GLVR, said.The Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors actually includes Realtors from Carbon County, they merged in 2014. Their CEO is from Carbon County and their board of directors is led by Palmerton Realtor Cass Chies.Officials from Blue Ridge Real Estate said a number of factors made this a good time to show off their properties.In nearby Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, the New Ventures business park is booming. That's thanks in part to a Keystone Opportunity Zone that runs through 2019.The crossing of two major highways - Interstate 80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike - makes the Kidder Township area very for commercial real estate. It's one of the major factors that attracted resorts to the area more than 50 years ago, and part of what led Dr. Joseph Mattioli to locate Pocono Raceway near Blakeslee.But those businesses are mostly seasonal. Ski resorts and hotels don't need many year-round employees.The KOEZ could be an opportunity to create year-round jobs at distribution centers and other light industrial businesses."The area we're in, Kidder Township, is very interested in projects to create jobs. Our big employers here are mostly seasonal," said Bruce Beaty, CEO of Blue Ridge Real Estate.Blue Ridge Real Estate already has access to a private sewer plant, natural gas utilities. The PennEast project proposal may include a water tower that could serve businesses.PennEast is also planning to build an access road through the property that would potentially decrease the cost for potential tenants.Henderson said that she's encouraged that Realtors and businesses will continue to look at Carbon County as an option as the Lehigh Valley's economy continues to boom.The Realtors plan on returning to Carbon County this fall for another tour, possibly focusing on the southern part of the county and any available commercial space."We want to really highlight what they have here - whether it's industrial, commercial or residential," Marks said.