Plymouth Plan Commission Approves “Shell” Building Plat Changes

  
 
In an effort to attract new investment into its industrial area, the city of Plymouth is moving forward with its manufacturing shell building project on the city’s northwest side. The Plymouth Plan Commission recently voted in favor of making some modification to the plat of land proposed for the building along Pioneer Drive near the corner of Commerce Street to improve access.

Derek Spier, economic development specialist at the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation, told WKVI that the previous plat which was laid out in the early 2000’s had a non-access easement along Pioneer Drive, part of which needed removed to improve access with a on the northeast side of the property. In addition, Spier explained that the Board of Zoning Appeals also approved a variance to allow some parking internally within the setback of the front of the property, which was reduced from 70 feet to 50 feet.

Spier said the shell building would be an asset to both the city and county as it makes the area appealing to potential manufacturers looking toward Marshall County.

“Plymouth is in the process of building a manufacturing shell building,” Spier said. “And the purpose is to respond to site leads that we get through the state and other site selectors looking for manufacturing buildings in Marshall County. The goal is to get new investment within our industrial area. Initially we’re going to have about a 45,000 square foot building and it’s expandable up to 135,000 square feet based on any incoming business’s needs.”

Now that the BZA approved the requested variance and the Plan Commission approved the plat changes, Spier said the project can move forward and, hopefully, be ready by late fall.

“Next in the project is essentially the city putting together the public-private partnership agreements as we speak, and hopefully those are going to go to the redevelopment commission here probably in late May to early June, and then we expect to get some of the ground broke on the project in either July or August, and then by fall – I think by November – they plan to have it buttoned up and ready to go,” Spier explained.