According to sources familiar with the project, the 1,400-acre site initially appeared ideal thanks to a glossy marketing brochure featuring drone footage, inspirational music, and at least seven uses of the phrase “strategically located.”
“We really thought this was the one,” said Economic Development President Mark Markfield while standing beside a faded rendering labeled Innovation Commerce Center. “The site had visibility, momentum, branding, and a logo with italicized font. Unfortunately, the company eventually started asking questions.”
Problems reportedly began during the due diligence process when executives discovered the property lacked water capacity, sewer access, natural gas redundancy, adequate power, rail connectivity, road improvements, workforce availability, environmental clearance, and ownership clarity.
Additional concerns emerged after engineers learned approximately 40% of the site consisted of protected wetlands, another 30% sat on a floodplain, and the remaining acreage was controlled by “a family that hasn’t agreed on anything since 1987.”
Despite the setbacks, local leaders insist the site remains “development ready” based largely on optimism and a conceptual infrastructure map containing several dotted lines.
“We’re only about $94 million away from making this site fully competitive,” explained one consultant during a presentation titled Catalyzing Tomorrow Through Visionary Partnerships. “And honestly, that’s very manageable if you ignore the funding part.”
