SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
On the heels of yesterday's big announcement, by CF Industries, to spend nearly $2-billion to expand its Port Neal plant, Sioux City leaders announced expansion plans of their own, this morning.
In fact, large plots of land, that are "shovel ready" or, prepped for development are a hot commodity. That's why the Siouxland Chamber says, its plan to partner with Sioux City to offer up 259 acres of land for development is a big deal.
"We have seen an accelerated decision making timeline from these companies that are looking for these major sites," Chris McGowan, President of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce said.
The Siouxland Initiative is the economic arm of the Chamber Commerce. And this chamber foundation has been working with the city to add roads, run utility lines, as well as install water and sewer infrastructure to the 109 acres of land near the Bridgeport West Industrial Park.
"This is really a cooperative alliance between the Chamber Foundation and the city of Sioux City, and our hope is we'll have a prospect or a client that is interested in all of the land," McGowan said
The city is now in the process of purchasing that 109 acres, through the Siouxland Initiative. The Chamber will then use the money from the sale of the land, and additional funds, to buy another 150 acres of adjacent land.
"So together we will have a 259 acre site, a very large site, this is a site that does have utilities and streets and is ready for development it's shovel ready in fact and so this gives us an opportunity to market a very large site," Marty Dougherty, Sioux City Economic Development Director said.
And the large site could lead to a huge economic boost for the community around it.
"This is the type of site, if fully developed, there could be several thousand types of jobs that could be there," Dougherty said.
The chamber says, the site could also help generate interests for more companies to come to Siouxland.
"We certainly hope that other businesses will be more interested in Sioux City, and specifically in the Bridgeport area but if we're going to meet that interest, we have to have shovel ready sites with the infrastructure, and that means the water, the roads, the sewer, and the electricity and all of those things are in place at Bridgeport West, which makes that a very attractive site" McGowan said.
But, before potential investors can make their bids to develop the land, the city has to approve the purchase of the 109 acres from the Siouxland Chamber Foundation, for nearly $1.1 million. The City Council will vote on the purchase of the land at Monday's meeting. The Chamber Foundation says the total costs to buy the additional land is $1.9 million.
Empty land near Bridgeport West Industrial Park ready for development
