Orlando Baking’s New cold Store On Opportunity Corridor In Cleveland!
FEATURED PHOTO: DAVID BOWEN PRESIDENT CLEVELAND CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
FreshWaterCleveland.com, By Chloe Sanchez, Posted November 30th 2021
A new cold store is planned for the Opportunity Corridor, potentially creating opportunities for local grocers and food service providers.
The Cleveland City Planning Commission approved the city’s plan to sell land to Orlando Baking and give the company financial incentives to build the 150,000 square foot facility. The deal has yet to be approved by the city council.
Orlando Baking would use approximately 50,000 square feet and rent the remainder of the pallet space to local grocers and others in the grocery industry.
The project could create 70 additional jobs at Orlando Baking, which already has 300 employees.
It will also provide a place for local grocers to rent cold stores, which, according to David Ebersole, director of economic development, is especially difficult to find nearby.
Orlando is currently renting space in Columbus, he said. David Bowen, chairman of the planning commission, said companies are currently looking to Columbus or Michigan to rent cold rooms.
The idea is that the cold storage infrastructure will help companies in northeast Ohio rent local rentals and attract new businesses to the area, the presentation said.
“This is a huge economic win for the city if it is built,” said Ebersole. He said another company that rents space in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has already expressed an interest in freezer room rentals.
The proposed building is located south of Orlando Baking’s current location on the Opportunity Corridor.
To incentivize the project, the city of Orlando Baking would enter a 30-year tax hike finance deal that would exempt the warehouse from the property tax it would pay the city for 30 years. The company would continue to make payments to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
According to city documents, the deal is valued at approximately $ 2.24 million.
Opportunity Corridor Boulevard opened on November 13th. The three-mile project cost $ 257 million.
The road project is designed to stimulate economic development in what is known as the “Forgotten Triangle” neighborhood of Cleveland. Rather than having a freeway running through the area, government and planning officials opted for a 35-mile urban boulevard with a wide center lane, multi-purpose path, and traffic lights at intersections.
