City hoping to expand Toyota park
145 acres next to engine plant would bring new industry
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Huntsville's Toyota engine plant may soon have some company.
Mayor Loretta Spencer, City Council President Richard Showers and other city officials Friday afternoon announced a proposal to buy 145 acres for an expansion of North Huntsville Industrial Park.
Showers said the city will soon make an offer on more land next to the park. "We will be back very soon with the announcement of some additional property the city can get," he said. "We have a bunch of folks lined up out there interested in buying options (on industrial park property) to let us know they're seriously interested."
Showers hinted Friday that several industrial scouts are eyeing the northern park. He wouldn't say who or what type of industry they represent but did say the prospective tenants are "medium to large-type operations" similar to Toyota.
The City Council will consider the 145-acre purchase June 23. The land is east of Pulaski Pike and south of Bob Wade Lane/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The latest purchase would bring the North Huntsville Industrial Park to 965 acres.
Officials say the expansion, coupled with the recent completion of MLK Boulevard, will greatly enhance the city's ability to lure more tenants to the North Huntsville Industrial Park.
The new MLK Boulevard links with Research Park Boulevard to provide a vital link to I-565. "Giving people access to the interstate - that's what always puts you in the driver's seat," Spencer said.
Spencer said the northern park's manufacturing emphasis helps Huntsville build a diverse job base for all residents. Cummings Research Park in west Huntsville is research-oriented.
The 145-acre tract is owned by West Huntsville Land Co. and its president, Frederick Lanier. The land appraised for the $715,214 offer, said City Planning Director Dallas Fanning.
Showers said the industrial park's expansion will provide a major shot in the arm to north Huntsville.
"It closes the gap. It gives the north part of the city the opportunity to grow like the rest of the city is growing," he said. "It will complete the circle and help ensure that the entire city will be on an even keel with each other."
The city is planning to build a greenway on the southern fringe of the new property. Assistant City Planner Marie Bostick said construction on the nearly one-mile greenway could begin before the end of the year. The greenway will link to property managed by the Huntsville Land Trust next door and eventually tie in with the unpaved Wade Mountain trail.
Money from a special tax district used to lure Toyota will pay for the greenway and, if approved, the property purchase.
© 2005 The Huntsville Times
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