(La Porte, IN) - It appears La Porte is going to see more industrial growth.

 

Two developers have purchased 25 acres of undeveloped ground behind Walmart on Boyd Boulevard. The plan is to have one structure containing 100-thousand square feet of space on each parcel. 

 

Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, said various industries would be recruited to operate from the two facilities.

 

Making the proposed developments even more significant, Cook said that land for the new industry is being created in a city where little unused space is available for such purposes.

 

“We’re excited. We have a desperate need for new industrial space. The need is there. The demand is there. It’s great to be able to work with local developers to get something new built in our community,” Cook said.

The land is part of a 70-acre parcel the city purchased a few years ago from Howmet Aerospace.

 

Cook said about 45 acres of the property is a sort of wetlands that will improve stormwater drainage in the area. The remainder of the ground was owned by the city’s Redevelopment Commission, which sold the property slated for industrial development at about $36,000 per acre.

 

Cook said construction of both structures could begin in the fall.

 

The project is similar to the 150,000 square foot spec building recently constructed by a private developer at the Thomas Rose Industrial Park. Tenants were found to occupy those buildings after construction began in response to demand from the industrial sector.

 

Cook said Patrick Industries and American Renolit Corporation are operating from the entire facility. American Renolit Corporation expanded into the facility and still operates from its other location on La Porte’s east side.