Beaufort still working to bring companies to 168-acre business park. Will they come?

More than five years after the city of Beaufort bought Beaufort Commerce Park in a plan to attract new businesses, the still-vacant property is for sale to companies who want to call it home.

The city posted an announcement this week that the 168-acre park near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is for sale on a first-come basis, “pending price and economic impact.” That doesn’t mean the city plans to unload the entire property, city manager Bill Prokop said. Instead, it will sell parcels to fit what prospective businesses need.

Beaufort bought the land in 2012 for $1.85 million in hopes of creating jobs and building tax revenue. City officials say the investment is still worth it and that they have reupped their commitment to wooing tenants.

“It’s taken a long time, but it’s very much worth it,” said Redevelopment Commission chairman Jon Verity, who said he would support the initial deal again. “Its original vision is still appropriate.”

The city solicited qualified developers earlier this summer interested in buying land and building a large, privately owned manufacturing building on the property that could potentially house multiple tenants. The city would be responsible for providing a tenant for a portion of the building and would consider a limited financial stake, it said in its public notice asking for qualified developers.

Pursuing opportunities for the park was on Prokop’s list of performance goals for the current fiscal year, and $15,000 has been set aside too improve the property in the coming year.

“That’s one of our goals this year is to make something happen,” Prokop said.

Aerospace and automotive technology companies with 20 to 100 employees are among the targeted businesses. City Council recently declined to sell to a prospective buyer that wanted to conserve the property and wouldn’t have provided desired industry and jobs, Prokop said. He declined to identify the potential buyer.

The city still owed $1 million for the park as of June 30. Beyond that, the ongoing costs include mowing once every three months.

Prospective tenants have talked with the city this summer but haven’t delved into specifics, Mayor Billy Keyserling said.

“If somebody’s going to come and do the right kind of business, we’re going to try and carve up the land they need for it,” Keyserling said.

While the city’s land has been vacant, business activity in the industrial area on the outskirts of the commerce park has been a mixed bag.

Manufacturer Parker Hannifin closed its operation on Parker Drive in 2015, eliminating 75 jobs. The company had once employed as many as 260 people here.

Railroad manufacturer Geismar plans to open in its facility in a separate vacant building on Parker Drive later this year. The company must create 45 full-time jobs with an averaging starting pay of $24 an hour as part of its $750,000 incentive from Beaufort County to relocate here.

Family-owned Harris Pillow announced plans in late 2016 to double its staff within five years and move into a renovated building on Parker Drive that was previously home to Beaufort Liquidation and 84 Lumber.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Beaufort still working to bring companies to 168-acre business park. Will they come?."