Industrial Park Expansion Underway

One of the state’s largest industrial parks is about to get even bigger, as officials for the Taunton Development Corp. have begun efforts to acquire 81 acres to expand the city’s Myles Standish Industrial Park. Leasing agent Cathy Minnerly of NAI/Hunneman Commercial Co. says the third phase of the park would bring it to 765 acres when the process is completed this fall. As part of the plan, TDC would purchase land currently owned by the state for approximately $2.5 million. The 73 acres of upland and nine acres of wetlands are mostly wooded, but there are a series of abandoned service roads and other outmoded facilities left over from the erstwhile US Army Camp Myles Standish.

Located 30 miles south of Boston, Taunton has become a mecca for industrial uses since the park was opened in 1974, with Minnerly citing the project’s solid infrastructure as a top draw. “It has been a very well-maintained park,” she says, noting that the two existing phases have seen considerable interest recently. A Boston food supplier, Agar Supply Co., is currently building a 270,000-sf headquarters and warehouse facility there, for example, while Kingston Automotive recently completed a 150,000-sf building as well. Condine Development is also eyeing a major spec warehouse at the park, according to sources.

Industrial broker James Nicoletti of Insignia/ESG says one reason Myles Standish has done so well is that it is one of the few parks in the state where a company can control its property outright. With land costs to the north too expensive, and some parks limiting ownership opportunities, Nicoletti says many firms have migrated to Myles Standish, as witnessed by the need for a third phase.