MANSFIELD — The massive building taking shape along Bowman Street has garnered inquiries from multiple Richland Source readers.
“There is a huge warehouse being built by Adena on the corner of Bowman Street and Cairns Road,” one asked. “I was wondering which company is having that warehouse built, and how many jobs it might bring to the area?”
The $9 million industrial building is, in fact, not being built for a particular company. The structure located at 1750 Airport West Road (otherwise known as the corner of Bowman and Cairns) is a spec building — a readymade structure available for either lease or purchase.
The property is owned by Airport West I, an LLC registered to Adena Corporation President Randy Payne.
Payne told Richland Source he chose to construct the building to meet a need for out-of-town investors.
“Being a part of the Richland County Development Group and understanding the hurdles with growth in the area, there seemed to be a disconnect between the type of space available versus the needs of interested companies,” he wrote in an email.
“Also a factor was the willingness for the companies to wait a year or more for it. Being a part of the community and wanting the area to succeed and grow, we decided to try and help the fix the issue for the local economic impact.”
Tim Bowersock, Mansfield’s economic development director, said there has been “considerable interest” in the building over the past few months.
“The Developer is negotiating with possible tenants and expects to have a tenant by the time it is complete,” Bowersock said. “Completion should be by the end of the first quarter 2022.”
Payne confirmed there were multiple parties interested in the building.
“We hope to have (an agreement) in the next six months but there is no guarantee,” he said.
It remains to be seen how many jobs the building could bring to the Mansfield area.
According to Bowersock, the building will be 160,000 square feet and be suitable for warehousing or manufacturing. He stated that a warehousing tenant could be expected to bring three full-time and seven part-time jobs, while an industrial tenant could bring five full-time jobs and 20 part-time jobs.
Mansfield City Council voted in October 2020 to allow the Richland County Growth Corporation to sell the 15 acres of undeveloped land to Adena Development LLC for $1.
The following month, council approved a package granting Airport West I a 100 percent tax exemption for real property improvements for 15 years.
According to that ordinance, the project is expected to create an annual payroll of $158,080 in the first year, rising to $299,520 in the 10th year.
The spec building isn’t the only investment project Airport West I has in the works.
Payne said he was unable to provide updates on a second property, a five-acre property near the intersection of Airport West Industrial Parkway and Crall Road.
Bowersock told Mansfield City Council earlier this year that the city was a finalist for the project that could lead to a significant number of jobs.
“We are still in the running for that project,” Bowersock told Richland Source last month. “They have delayed their final decision, although we should know soon.”
