By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green is on the verge of growing by another 103 acres on its northeast edge.
Annexation petitions have been filed for acreage to join in the Wood Bridge Business Park. The annexations from Center Township to the city came up at a recent Bowling Green Planning Commission meeting.
The request comes from two owners:
- 43 acres on the south side of East Poe Road by petitioner Susan J. Ragan.
- 60 acres on the north side of East Wooster Street by petitioners Richard and Judith Carpenter.
The annexations meet the city’s desire to expand Wood Bridge Business Park, according to Sue Clark, director of Bowling Green Economic Development.
Plans call for Moser Construction to build a 100,000 square foot warehouse and connecting roadway this summer, Clark said.
“This is a need that has been in the community for the last three to four years,” she said.
Several manufacturers in Wood Bridge have already committed to renting the warehouse space, “so they can have more room for manufacturing” in their own facilities, Clark explained to the planning commission members.
Clark said the warehouse is coming just in time – especially for one of the factories that was talking about moving to Michigan in order to get more warehouse space.
If the annexations are approved, the acreage will be divided into 20 and 15 acre sections and sold to prospective manufacturers. Clark said she believes the first building is already filled with tenants. The city will install necessary water and sewer services, and roadways.
The annexation will also allow for the construction of another roadway into and out of the business park. Currently, there is only one access road, off Dunbridge Road. The addition of property to the east of the Meijer store would provide room for an access road off East Wooster.
Clark said the business park have more than 1,200 employees, plus a lot of shipping transportation, so an additional entrance and exit will be welcomed.
“The state has given us a green light” for the first part of the roadway, she said.
Clark said the city economic development office has also been approached by the owner of acreage further to the east of the manufacturing park about further expansion.
“It’s not our intention at this time to go further out,” she said.
But Clark isn’t ruling that out in the future.
“This is a logical direction for the next phase of our industrial growth,” she said.
Public hearings on the annexation requests will be held next month.
Last month, City Council approved a land swap so the manufacturing park could expand east of the Meijer store. The Carpenters and the city agreed to the following trade:
- The city will trade approximately 80 acres of farmland east of the solar field, near Carter and Newton roads, for the north 20 acres of the Carpenter farm property.
- The city will have an option to purchase the remaining 45 acres south of the 20 acres acquired in this agreement. The price per acre will be $30,000 an acre for the first 15 acres, $35,000 per acre for the next 15, and $45,000 per acre for the remaining acreage.
- The purchase option will have a term of 10 years.
- Carpenter will be permitted to continue farming the 20 acres until it is sold for industrial uses.
- Carpenter may extend a city water service line to their house on Carter Road.
- The city will provide a farm access lane to the 80-acre parcel from Carter Road. Carpenter will maintain the farm access lane.
- The total 65 acres in the agreement will be annexed to the city and rezoned for industrial development.
