Western Real Estate Business

OCT 2017

Western Real Estate Business magazine covers the multifamily, retail, office, healthcare, industrial and hospitality sectors in the Western United States.

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www.REBusinessOnline.com Western Real Estate Business • October 2017 • 29 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY RAMPS UP IN SECONDARY MARKETS From the desert regions of Southern California to southeastern New Mexico and northwestern Phoenix, economic development officials throughout the West's secondary and tertiary markets are doing their part to make sure their residents, employers, users and visitors are well taken care of. By Nellie Day Hesperia, Calif. The Hesperia Economic Develop- ment team has long fostered ongoing relationships with developers, bro- kers and landowners throughout the city. Staff actively cultivates potential buyers and tenants for developers' sites, promoting vacant land and fa- cilities as locations of choice in the In- land Empire region. This proactive stance proved to be an advantage when Hesperia was contacted by Aemerge, an Indiana- based waste management company interested in a location for their new manufacturing facility. Armed with a lengthy list of potential sites in the region, Adam Seger, the company's president and CEO, visited with Hes- peria's senior Economic Develop- ment staff. A site tour of an industrial property was facilitated by Coldwell Banker Commercial for the next day. Though this site hadn't initially made Aemerge's list, it was a well-known project to Hesperia staff, who charac- terized the property as an optimal lo- cation for the company. Staff was very optimistic about that particular site while showing the two existing buildings to Seger. Especially important was that all utilities already were in place, making it easy to vi- sualize future operations there. Soon after the initial site visit, Aemerge chose the City of Hesperia as the first West Coast site for RedPak Services, a cutting-edge technology company that manufactures energy and benefi- cial carbon co-products from medical waste. The focus of the initial site search had been on existing industrial buildings, but expansion plans were quickly implemented to encompass an adjacent property. The transac- tion ultimately doubled the scope of the project, allowing RedPak to build on 4.75 acres. The site is also in close proximity to 80 acres of city-owned, rail-accessible property in the largest industrial-zoned area of Hesperia. This new 37,700-square-foot facil- ity will be fully operational by this November. It will run two shifts and create 20 new mortgage-paying jobs within the community. Hesperia staff is now assisting RedPak with its open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony. RedPak safely treats medical waste in a manner that utilizes the waste as a medium to produce power, carbon black and recycled medical-grade metals. RedPak is the only facility in California permitted to treat all types of medical waste as regulated by the California Department of Public Health. More than 90 percent of the waste processed through the facility will be landfill diverted, which, along with the elimination of hauling out of state for treatment, offers a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emis- sions. Hesperia's staff has remained a stra- tegic partner with RedPak throughout the process from pre-development meetings and beyond, often working with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. Hespe- ria's economic development team also championed the development of Red- Pak's project with letters of support to the California Pollution Control Financing Authority during the proj- ect's planning and construction stag- es. This helped facilitate approval for the issuance of tax-exempt bonds that would be granted to RedPak. Staff also provided a quality-of-life tour for RedPak's controller, who was relocat- ing from Indiana and found his condo during that tour. This pro-growth, customer service- oriented city understands the impor- tant role manufacturing plays in its overall economic development strate- gy, and has taken progressive steps to ensure it is a viable location for indus- try. Domestically, manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance. Hesperia looks forward to capturing its share of the new capital invested in manufac- turing and complementary warehous- ing/distribution. Fontana, Calif. The City of Fontana is experiencing a period of rapid economic growth and prosperity due to its geographic location, balanced land uses and ac- cess to major freeways. It is also one of the most populous cities in San Ber- nardino County with an approximate residential population of 211,000 and growing. The city is considered one of South- ern California's most important re- gional hubs for the trucking and lo- gistics industry. This is due to its vast network of freeways, including Inter- states 10, 15 and 210 as well as a strate- gic network of rail lines and intermo- dal facilities. Fontana is situated only RedPak's 4.7acre site in Hesperia, Calif., will feature a new 37,700-square-foot facility that will be fully operational by this November.

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