If recent interest is any indication, there could be a lot of development in Emporia’s Industrial Parks in the next several years.
According to Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas President Chuck Scott, a recent guest of KVOE’s Talk of Emporia, the RDA is close to closing a sale on one of the available lots in Industrial Park III. Scott says the RDA is also in the early stages of conversations with another entity for a separate lot in the same park, however, he could not provide any specific details except to say the two entities are unrelated.
Scott says while exciting, both prospects are still months or years away from being finalized with at least another additional year before development of any kind takes place. He says this is a relatively standard timeline for ventures such as this.
If both sales were to go through, Scott says this would leave a single lot available within Industrial Park III, which has also garnered some interest as of late. Scott says the RDA will take inquiries from “anybody” when it comes to marketing the property, however, they are always looking for the “right fit” when it comes to finalizing a sale.
Elsewhere, Scott says work is ongoing on Industrial Park III South, located at East Logan, and Industrial Park IV, located on West Highway 50, to make both of those properties “shovel ready.”
According to Scott, Park III South is a former residential property that has seen some utility work completed with more still to come. Park IV is in the process of utility and road work at this time with the annexation and zoning process in the works. Park IV contains three usable lots with a total of 150 acres of land while Park III South contains three parcels and a total of 90 acres of land to develop.
While he could not divulge the names of the entities that have expressed interest in the available lots, Scott says large-scale manufacturers are often needing 200-plus acres to accommodate their operations. With that in mind and given the total acreage available in the city’s industrial parks, he says anyone looking to develop there would either be an existing entity planning an expansion or a medium-sized company looking to put down roots in the community.
