Fairfield looks to parcel for industrial development

Fairfield looks to parcel for industrial development
By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | July 29, 2009

FAIRFIELD - After a few false starts, one of the city's last big industrial sites might finally have a purpose.

City officials have agreed to plunk down more than $200,000 during the next three years to turn a 'raw' property off Highway 12 into one that would be attractive to businesses.

'The city needs to position itself for the future economic turnaround,' city officials wrote in a report to the Fairfield City Council.

Fairfield owns the 43-acre site, which is at the intersection of Chadbourne and Cordelia roads, in the center of an industrial park. The city originally bought the land with plans to use it for a corporation yard. More recently, it was discussed as a possible site for a planned sports complex. Both those plans fell through.

City officials have often referred to the site as one of the few remaining large industrial parcels in the city.

'It is extremely difficult to find properties over 25 acres in this market,' said Curt Johnston, Fairfield's economic development division manager. 'Those sites are becoming very rare.'

The plan calls for spending $168,000 on the project in the 2009-10 fiscal year, $41,000 in 2010-11 and $5,000 in 2011-12.

The money will be spent on engineering work and environmental studies.

See the complete story at the Daily Republic online.