Park's expansion could bring many new jobs to area
NEAL GOSWAMI, Staff Writer

Thursday, March 20 BENNINGTON — The planned expansion of a corporate park on Shields Drive could precipitate hundreds of new jobs and a significant stimulus for the local economy, officials said Wednesday. Bennington County Industrial Corp. Executive Director Peter Odierna said the group is developing a master plan for new industrial and commercial space because the current inventory in Bennington County has dried up. Plasan USA announced last year it would expand and utilize the former U.S. Tsubaki, filling the last standing structure, he said. Odierna said filling the existing space is positive for the area but could lead to a slowdown if new space isn't developed for new growth.
   "The big thing that this does is begin to expand the inventory of available space. I don't care what you're selling, if you don't have inventory you're not going to sell," he said. As a result, BCIC is finalizing a plan to utilize about 40 acres of undeveloped land it owns on Shields Drive. The hope is to develop it into about a dozen separate plots to either sell or lease. The master plan calls for the construction of between 350,000 and 500,000 square feet of new space in a campus-like setting, said Odierna. "What we're trying to do is really create a campus-like development," he said. "We want to preserve that country club setting by recruiting high-end tenants."
   Kirk Moore of BMA Architects and Planners has been working with BCIC to develop the plan. He said the planned corporate park would be a unique opportunity to expand the business base in the area. "It's not an unusual approach as far as a planning tool," Moore said. "It is unique because as far as I know there is not another corporate park in Southern Vermont."
   The master plan is expected to be completed in about two months, according to Odierna. He said businesses interested in locating at the park could be moving in as early as 12 to 24 months. "There's a couple of fine details we need to solidify. To use a baseball analogy, I'd say we are in the seventh or eight inning," Odierna said. He said the land already has an Act 250 permit for development that will only require minor adjustments to proceed with the plan. Businesses wishing to either construct their own building or developers that wish to build on the site will have little work left to do, he said.
   "It's as close to a shovel-ready site in Vermont as you can get," Odierna said. The acreage will be surveyed in April and language on design requirements will also be completed shortly.
   Moore said he is working on design guidelines for the park that will incorporate "green construction practices" that follow the Leadership in Energy Development and Design (LEED) certified guidelines. "It's probably going to be a hybrid guideline that they follow LEED rather than a mandate," he said. "The hope is that it will attract people that share the same environmental beliefs."
   A new corporate park will help create jobs for young people, Moore said. He said state officials are often warning of a challenging demographic crisis, as the workforce grows older and young people move out of state. "I think it's the single biggest opportunity in Southern Vermont right now. I don't know of any other project that would do more for job creation," he said.