MANSFIELD — A 110-acre plot of land along Airport West Parkway in Mansfield’s Industrial Park will receive a highly coveted certification in the coming weeks, moving it up the lists of prospective businesses.
That should mean new businesses and in turn new jobs in Richland County, according to Mansfield Economic Development Director Tim Bowersock.
There are options for how the property will be used. The 110 acres could be parceled to multiple businesses. One, Bowersock said, is looking to purchase the entire plot of land.
“The size of the businesses range anywhere from four to five employees, to 300 to 400 employees,” Bowersock said.
The certificate comes after a JobsOhio program, Site Ohio, worked with city officials, Richland Community Development Group and Team Northeast Ohio to groom the land for consulting agencies. Ultimately the goal is to sell the property to business owners ready to build.
Bowersock there are few small hoops to jump through before the certificate is “in hand,” but he is hopeful there will be no obstacles.
“We’re at the tail-end of the process at this point. We did a presentation a couple of weeks ago and did a site visit. We’re ready,” Bowersock said.
The process has been nearly a decade-long.
Bowersock said it started in 2007 when the city approved legislation that allowed construction on infrastructure to support businesses that qualify for light industry along Cairns Road. The 1,200-acre area known as Mansfield’s Industrial Park is zoned for light industrial, barring the airport and military base.
In 2010, Bowersock said he was called by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D) with an offer to use federal stimulus money for a project.
“The federal grant was $1.6 million,” he said. “We used it to build the road (Airport West Road), storm and sewer (lines) and curbs and gutters.” The project was completed in 2012, but businesses did not consider it because it lacked Site Ohio’s certification.
“It’s like being a realtor that only selects buyers who’ve been pre-approved for a mortgage,” said Barrett Thomas, RCDG Director of Economic Development.
Normally, when Thomas would receive a request for information on a specific site, he would be one of hundreds to submit the information. Only the sites with credible stamps of approval are considered. This certification will qualify a second look from potential business owners.
“We have exactly what they’re looking for,” Thomas said.
Once the land receives the certificate from Site Ohio, Insight, an Indiana consulting firm, will present the 110-acre plot of land to light industrial businesses.
Several businesses have already expressed interest in the land, according to Bowersock. He declined to comment on which businesses, however, he said they are similar to existing manufacturing entities nearby.
The land, which sits vacant along Airport West Parkway, was used for the last five years by Mansfield Correctional Institute for farmland, Bowersock said.
Thomas is excited for what the certification means for the area’s economic climate. He noted that there were 18 other counties which applied for the certification from Site Ohio.
“We are far more competitive than people here would think. In the 18 counties in northeast Ohio and all the economic prowess that is not in this county, we end up with one of the three sites that passed certification,” he said.
Thomas submitted four applications for the certification process with Site Ohio. Two properties are located in Shelby, one is in Ontario. Two properties still have not been visited. He said those properties might still receive a certification.
The Industrial Park is made up of 90 businesses and employs nearly 6,000. Bowersock said there is only one vacant building in the 1,200-acre space, and that 250 acres are shovel-ready sites.
