The City of Milford is looking to buy land for an industrial/business park.
Milford’s city manager Mark Whitfield is negotiating the purchase of the 182-acre Fry Farms - located at the corner of Routes 14 and 15.
“This really started back in 2018 when the Council looked at a Strategic Plan for the City for the next five years," said Whitfield."And one of the things that was identified in that Strategic Plan was the need for an industrial park.”
Whitfield says there aren’t any large tracts of land in Milford to entice larger industrial-type, light manufacturing, warehouse or e-commerce companies to move to the city.
He says Fry Farms fits the bil, in part because it’s located next to an existing business park off of Airport Road.
Milford is currently having the land appraised.
“We have done a rough cost estimate in terms of the infrastructure costs; the infrastructure costs are roughly around $10 million," said Whitfield. "Plus, the cost of the land itself. We estimate that to be somewhere between $7 and $9 million. So all told, it’s going to be less than $20 million.”
Whitfield says there is money in a reserve fund that could pay for the project.
Milford is submitting a comprehensive plan amendment request to the State Office of State Planning Coordination for comments before hosting public hearings on the plan.
Whitfield estimates it will take four-months to complete the appraisal and an environmental assessment on the property, as well as rezoning. It’s currently zoned for apartments or townhomes and highway commercial.
Whitfield hopes to have the sale completed by September with construction likely beginning in the spring or summer of 2022.
