By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — The city of Warsaw continues to look at new ways to attract industry and jobs, including the idea of establishing a newly designated state-supported industrial park.
The city is exploring the idea and wants to access $350,000 from the Orthopedic Industry Retention Fund set aside specifically for the potential development of an innovation development district, which is essentially a large-scale industrial park
The property would fall between US 30 and Old 30, which runs parallel to the railroad access.
The money would be used for an IDD master plan, which would assess the availability of utilities and transportation for such a park.
Skinner stressed that the IDD is a long-term plan and that the plan would have to gain state support.
Access to US 30 would be a key factor, and while additional interchanges have been discussed as part of a future revamped limited-access version of US 30, Skinner avoided specifically pointing to where an interchange might be constructed.
The city is eying property south of the Warsaw Technology Park along US 30 and could potentially tie in with a future interchange along U.S. 30. It could extend as far south as Old Road 30 near the Slate Auto plant.
Jeremy Skinner, the director of community and economic development for the city of Warsaw, said that while most industrial parks tend to be 200 to 300 acres, this would be upward of 1,000-plus acres.
Skinner said they plan to reach out to Kosciusko County officials to see if they want to participate.
“At this point, we’re just on the idea that we’re trying to create a sales pitch to the state to consider looking at Warsaw and Kosciusko County as an opportunity to create a large investment in jobs,” Skinnner said.
The city redevelopment commission on Monday approved a plan to access money from the orthopedic retention fund for the master plan.
Skinner was asked if this has anything to do with data centers, and he said that is not the case.
