DeLand Crossings
industrial park under construction; two tenants secured
If
you build it they will come. That was the mantra in the movie, Field
of Dreams, when creating a baseball diamond was the key to bringing
the legends of the game to a rural Iowa field. It appears also to be
working in the wide open spaces of west Volusia County as DeLand
Crossings is attracting the attention of companies that plan to set
up shop here.
DeLand
Crossings is a major manufacturing and distribution park being
created by the county at the intersection of Interstate 4 and State
Road 44 east of DeLand. This 43-acre industrial site is designed to
accommodate up to 300,000 square feet of industrial and distribution
space and will host as many as 300 highly skilled (and highly paid)
workers.
Access
to S.R. 44, Interstate 4 and proximity to Orlando are key factors in
the early success of the project.
“DeLand
Crossings was conceived in response to the need for more business
parks in Volusia County,” said Rick Michael, Volusia County’s
Director of Economic Development. “Prospective tenants prefer
industrial parks that are established, zoned and permitted with
infrastructure in place to facilitate quick start-ups.”
Dwight
Lewis, who represents the area on the Volusia County Council,
agreed. “This is the right project at the right time.” Volusia
County’s status as a player in the Florida High Tech Corridor will
continue to increase due to projects such as DeLand Crossings. “We
expect this project will encourage the private sector to create
parks of similar quality and appropriate placement.”
While
work on water, sewer, roads and site preparation proceeds, interest
in DeLand Crossings is increasing. Three of six industrial parcels
have been sold, returning rural County-owned property to the tax
roll. Already, two companies -- BBK Performance and NSI Intellitec
-- have committed to relocating to DeLand Crossings. These two firms
alone will account for at least 120 jobs.
BBK
Performance, which paid $420,000 for its parcel, is a
California-based automobile parts manufacturer. It plans a
40,000-square-foot plant. NSI Intellitec is a specialty vehicle
manufacturer that paid $860,720 for its land and plans a facility that
will cover 60,000 square feet or more.
The
county will have invested about $4 million in DeLand Crossings when
it is complete and it has secured grant money to help with specific
elements of the project. For example, The Volusia County Department
of Economic Development, which conceived and coordinates the
project, received a $460,000 transportation grant from the state, a
$1,500,000 grant from the United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development, and a $504,000 water and sewer grant from the
United States Economic Development Administration. These funds act
as a catalyst to the completion of DeLand Crossings, which is
projected to generate private sector investment exceeding $30
million.
