MANSFIELD – Almost 111 acres of Richland County land has been deemed immediately ready for development.
The Airport West Industrial Park site in Mansfield and the 44.8-acre Ohio Crossroads Industrial Center in Crawford County were both included on a JobsOhio list of eight SiteOhio Authenticated properties. Announced on Tuesday, the list identifies properties that are “development ready,” a game-changer for business attraction.
“You could go out and start building on this site tomorrow,” said Barrett Thomas, Richland County Development Group (RCDG) economic development director.
JobsOhio is a private, nonprofit corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion efforts. Its SiteOhio authentication process identifies sites statewide that are development-ready.
“When a site is authenticated with the SiteOhio seal, it is guaranteed to be ready for development on day one, saving businesses time and money,” said Kristi Clouse, executive director of operations at JobsOhio.
“Whether on a computer or a phone, essential information is readily available in one place for decision makers mapping out the future success of their business.”
The Airport West Industrial Park site has access to utilities like electric, natural gas, fiber, excess sewer and water capacity. The location is 45 miles from a 1.1 million population and is near an airport with a 9,000-foot runway, according to a JobsOhio press release.
In a September 2016 article, Mansfield Economic Development Director Tim Bowersock said the land, which had sat vacant along Airport West Parkway, was used for the last five years by Mansfield Correctional Institute for farmland.
The Crawford County Ohio Crossroads Industrial Center has access to the same utilities and is positioned within 45 miles of more than 860,000 in population.
The list is alphabetical, but Thomas noted that the Mansfield site made the list early in the selection process. He added he’s already been showing off the Mansfield property to potential developers, as it’s located in a light industrial zone that could accommodate two to six companies.
“This gets submitted for projects on a regular basis because it’s such a good site,” he said. By offering a SiteOhio Authenticated property, Thomas can reduce risk and increase speed for companies looking at a Mansfield location.
Several other properties in Richland County, including a site on Technology Parkway in Shelby, were also submitted, but did not become SiteOhio Authenticated. Thomas believes these could later earn this status.
