20 December 2007What's more, it's BigA Kansas firm called Big Industrial LLC has bought the old Dayton Tire plant on Council Road and will turn it into the Will Rogers Industrial Park. Bridgestone/Firestone closed the plant last year, citing declining interest in its low-end tire lines. About 1800 jobs were lost. The facility covers 2.5 million square feet on 310 acres. One possible selling point is the presence of an onsite gas-powered cogeneration plant, which may reduce utility costs for the new tenants, and "tenants" is plural: in recognition of market realities turning the whole place over to a single firm is unlikely Big Industrial is prepared to subdivide as needed. The demand is presumably there, though: the local vacancy rate, despite this and other plant closings, is still only about 10 percent. (A group led by Terryl Zerby bought out the old Western Electric/Lucent plant; speculation is rife that Tinker Air Force Base will absorb the former GM Assembly facility.) Proposed lease price is $2.50 per square foot; if fully leased, the new park will earn $6 million a year. The name change for the plant presumably will not affect the Bridgestone/Firestone grade school being built in the Western Heights school district. Posted at 10:41 AM to City SceneSchools named after corporations!? Who would've thought of such a thing? Posted by: McGehee at 3:16 PM on 20 December 2007 |