Work Underway on Shell Building
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowConstruction is beginning on a new shell building in Delaware County. The Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance says the facility at the Industria Centre Industrial Park is the ninth of its kind in the community. May 12, 2014
News Release
MUNCIE, Ind. – Muncie-Delaware County government officials, economic development leaders, Delaware Advancement Corporation, and Garmong Construction announced today that the construction of a new 200,000 square foot shell building feet is underway. Located on a 34-acre site in the Industria Centre Industrial Park, the pre-cast concrete building will feature 32 foot ceilings and will be expandable to 500,000 square feet.
As with prior buildings, local government will build and market the structure through a partnership with Garmong Construction, a private developer. Garmong has partnered with Muncie-Delaware County on two previous shell buildings, one of which is currently occupied by Magna Powertrain.
“This size of building is targeted to fill a void we feel exists in the market today. Once complete, with this building now in our inventory, companies looking for buildings in the 150,000 to 500,000 square foot range will have now have a nearly immediate occupancy option here in Delaware County,” said James King, President of the Delaware County Commissioners.
The building is the 9th such facility in the community's widely-successful shell building program. The shell building program has resulted in: (1) 694,000 square feet of occupied space in six buildings that have been expanded, (2) 180,000 square feet in new construction by companies that came to look at a shell building but constructed elsewhere within the county, (3) approximately 1,500 jobs and more than $150 million in capital investment.
“The new shell building positions us in a different market than our existing buildings which are smaller in terms of building square footage, expandability, and land size. Having a strategically-located, modern, flexible, and well-designed building is a key driver for us to win projects in today's highly competitive manufacturing and corporate headquarters market. The flexibility of the building also makes it suitable for distribution and logistics, and office-type businesses,” said Jay Julian, President and Chief Economic Development Officer of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.
“Economic development statistics will show that 65-75 percent of new and expanding companies will first look at communities with existing buildings. This building positions us better to compete,” said Terry Murphy, Vice President, Economic Development for the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.
The building is scheduled for “substantial completion” in October and final completion in November, 2014.
About the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance
The Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance (EDA) represents a consortium of economic development entities dedicated to the growth and prosperity of Muncie-Delaware County, Indiana.
Our purpose is to allocate and leverage economic development resources to sustain and enhance the economic growth, vitality and global competitiveness of Muncie-Delaware County as a superior business location. Services include site location assistance, retention and expansion of existing businesses, and customized research for business prospects considering Muncie-Delaware County, Indiana.
The EDA's administrative entities are Delaware Advancement Corporation and the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.
About Garmong Construction
Founded in 1923, Garmong serves markets across Indiana and East Central Illinois, with offices located in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Evansville, IN. In addition to providing economic development services to public/private clients, Garmong develops and delivers projects using Design-Build, General Contractor, Construction Management, and Real Estate Development delivery systems. Garmong’s affiliate, Garmong Development Company, LLC., specializes in build-to-suit leases of industrial manufacturing and health-care facilities.
Source: he Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance