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New business park approved |
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Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator
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Friday, 22 August 2008 |
Plans for Patterson’s next large industrial development got City Council approval Tuesday.
A 5-0 vote cleared the way for 121 acres of mostly vacant land near the corner of Baldwin and Sperry avenues to be transformed into 34 industrial buildings. The buildings will range in size from 13,500 square feet to 75,000 square feet.
The council welcomed the proposal, dubbed Westridge, with open arms. Several members said the jobs it will likely generate would be a boon to Patterson.
“It’s certainly needed,” said Councilman Dominic Farinha. “It’s certainly anticipated.”
A variety of industrial businesses will be allowed to locate at the facility, including distribution and manufacturing. Developers said they have had inquires, but no commitments from any companies. Developer Joe Hollowell said now that an agreement with the city is in place, it will be easier to attract tenants.
“We’re excited to taking it to the next level of marketing,” Hollowell said.
Developers have teamed up with Lee and Associates to bring tenants to the business park.
They plan to sell sections of land to different businesses, which will then construct the buildings, said one of the property owners, Kenny Buehner. That plan is similar to what has already happened on nearby land.
McShane Corporation and MetLife Real Estate Investments recently purchased land close to Rogers Road and Keystone Pacific Parkway from Keystone Development Corp., the company that ushered the land through the development and planning phase. They are close to completing a massive building, which is geared toward distribution.
The next step for the city is to make sure the future buildings have adequate sewer capacity. At this time, the city wouldn’t be able to support development in the new park.
Ultimately, city employees hope to expand Patterson’s sewer treatment plant, which would provide the needed capacity, said City Manager Cleve Morris. In the interim, Morris said the city is trying to get developments that aren't using their sewer allotments to return them to the city.
“No project has been held up; let me assure you of that,” Morris said.
Initially, plans had been to expand the sewer plant using fees collected from the business park and 3,100-home development slated for northeast Patterson called Villages of Patterson. While the fees from the business park have rolled in pretty much as expected, the stagnating housing market has stalled the Villages and the anticipated fees, Morris said.
Westridge is the latest development to occur in the West Patterson Business Park Master plan. The plan zoned large swaths of land along Sperry Avenue, between Baldwin Avenue and Interstate 5, for industrial use. At the time, the hope was to bring more jobs to Patterson.
So far, the Longs Drugs and Kohl’s distribution centers have been the park’s largest job producers. Several other smaller businesses have also taken root.
Technically, the project won’t get final city approval until the council goes through a second reading at its Sept. 2 meeting. However, it is extremely rare for projects to be rejected during the second reading.
Developers have been waiting to bring Westridge forward until contracts requiring the land be reserved for agriculture use had expired. Now that the preservation measures have passed, developers are looking to turn fields that once grew West Side crops into job generators.
“We got property to sell, and we’re looking for a buyer,” Buehner said.
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