Southgate plans fourth spec building in four years

• Southgate plans a 50,000-square foot speculative building at James Parkway and Kaiser Drive.
• Southgate‘s three previous spec buildings were purchased by Goodyear Tire, xperion and Ariel Corp.

HEATH – The corner of James Parkway and Kaiser Drive — literally a dead end six years ago — is alive with development today.

The 2009 extension of James Parkway from Kaiser Drive to Irving Wick Drive West opened up about 70 acres for new development on the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center Campus.

Southgate Corp., a real estate development firm, hopes to begin construction next month on its third building near the intersection, a 50,000-square-foot speculative building on the northeast corner of James Parkway and Kaiser Drive.

“The city of Heath and the Port Authority have been extremely helpful in facilitating this development,” Southgate President Rob O’Neill said.

“We’re definitely looking for manufacturing use. It ties together nicely with all the workforce initiatives in the community. Industry in the area reflects the skill of the workforce, and a manufacturing use requires a skilled workforce.”

Southgate has jumped on the opportunity provided by the James Parkway extension, the accessible property, an improving economy and a collaborative relationship with the city and the Port Authority, the manager of the campus.

The speculative building will be Southgate’s fourth in four years. The other three have tenants: Goodyear Tire’s research facility on Ohio 79 in Hebron; xperion, a maker of compressed natural gas tanks, on the northwest corner of James Parkway and Kaiser Drive; and Ariel Corp., a Mount Vernon-based manufacturer of gas compressors, on Kaiser Drive.

Ariel is installing its equipment, xperion is close to beginning production and Goodyear has been open one year.

Also, Southgate built a facility in 2006 for Samuel Strapping Systems, located next to xperion.

“We recognize there’s a lot of talented people living in our community, and we’re hoping they’re finding the jobs they’re looking for,” O’Neill said.

The building would likely provide jobs for 50 to 75 people, O’Neill said, depending on the company that eventually buys the building.

The latest Southgate building, to be completed in late July or early August, will be 26 feet tall, instead of the 24 foot height of its other buildings. The additional room provides more clearance for cranes and space for mechanical equipment.

“It’s not a huge change,” O’Neill said. “We think a little taller building would be helpful to have in the marketplace.”

Southgate has built about 50 spec buildings in its history, which includes the facilities at the Newark Industrial Park in Hebron.

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @kmallett1958