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Council Considers Plan April 3

Hoping to move on a fast track for development, the Hazelwood City Council wants to approve Panattoni Development Company’s plan to raze and redevelop the Ford Plant area. The city council will consider approval of a redevelopment plan at
its April 3rd meeting.

Hazelwood officials anticipate that this redevelopment will be an integral part of its efforts to maintain its position as an employment center for the St. Louis Region. As this project is built out in the ensuing years, there will be a significant number of new, quality jobs for both Hazelwood and the surrounding region residents.

“The redevelopment of the Hazelwood Ford site is a central element in bringing jobs to North County,” said Mayor T.R. Carr. “There will be construction jobs as the plant is demolished and as new facilities are built”. Demolition could begin as early as this summer with new construction starting next year, Carr anticipates.

“The project will involve a partnership between Hazelwood and Panattoni as the City moves forward with the redevelopment of this area,” Carr told The Independent News.

Ford Motor Company selected Panattoni to develop all 155 acres of the Ford area. Panattoni’s plans include construction of 11 new buildings totaling approximately 2.6 million square feet of commercial and industrial space, as well as associated surface parking and related site improvements. The primary uses will be light industrial, warehousing and distribution. This fits with the zoning of the property, the surrounding uses and its historic use.

Ford Motor Company began operation in Hazelwood in 1948 and expanded many times over the years. The assembly plant idled its production line of Explorer and Mountaineer sport utility vehicles in the Spring of 2006. The shutdown had cost the City of Hazelwood about $3 million a year in business and property taxes.

Panattoni Construction, Inc., of Sacramento, Ca., designs and builds offices, warehouses, industrial buildings, retail buildings and business parks. Panattoni building projects range from 2500 to over 1 million square feet, many involving redevelopment of former industrial sites. Panattoni is no stranger to the St. Louis market. They have multiple projects in Chesterfield, Hazelwood and Edwardsville, IL.

Whether Panattorni will get any tax incentives remains to be seen with the city, county state governments all possible tax incentive sources for such a project, Carr added.

Development of a light industrial and warehouse complex will further add to the industrial redevelopment of the Northwest County area around Lambert Airport. All could be an economical boost to revitalizing older suburban cities like Hazelwood, Florissant, Bridgeton, Berkeley and Ferguson.

“This will move an empty site to a productive location for Hazelwood, ” Carr added.

(Information for this story came from the City of Hazelwood and was written by Bob Lindsey and Jeanette Eberling Rizzello.

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