LEWISTON – A plan to swap land for a new south Lewiston water tank will help expand a new business park, according to city officials.

Councilors are expected to vote Tuesday on a plan to build a new road and utilities for 67.7 acres of industrial real estate. In exchange, land owner Dave Gendron would give the city two plots in the middle of the industrial development and third off of Ferry Road for water tanks.

Assistant City Administrator Greg Mitchell said work on the new industrial park wouldn’t begin until the Plourde Business Park along the east side of Plourde Parkway has four of its seven lots filled and 100,000 square feet developed. The first building on the new park is expected to be finished this spring.

“We expect Plourde Parkway to be built out within two years,” Mitchell said. “The next question becomes where do we go next? If we don’t have a plan that shows what we want to happen, we hit a wall and we can’t attract any investment any further.”

Councilors are scheduled to vote on the agreement with Gendron during the 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

City crews have started relocating utility lines along Plourde Parkway to prepare for the Wal-Mart Distribution Center and the Plourde Business Park. The city is also building a road through the business park called Discovery Drive, from Plourde Parkway east 1,250 feet.

“No work begins on this new park until we have demand for it,” Mitchell said. “There has to be a certain amount of development before anything else can move forward.”

According to the agreement, the city would expand Discovery Drive by 3,400 feet through the Plourde Business Park to the new development. The city would build water and sewer lines and above ground power lines, as well. That would amount to about a $2 million investment by the city, Mitchell said.

In exchange, the city would get two lots in the five lot park, about 32.7 acres. The city also gets six acres off of Ferry Road to build new water tanks.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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