Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Orillia is ready to welcome new industrial development as the extension to the Horne Business Park on the western edge of the city nears completion. The additional 24 acres of employment land will be shovel-ready for development next spring or sooner.
“We are looking forward to new businesses, from near and far, locating to and expanding in Orillia,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.
“There has been a good deal of development happening in the City in recent years. This will enable us to keep that momentum going and to create even more new jobs, expand the City’s industrial tax base, and help build on Orillia’s reputation as the next wave for growth and development in Central Ontario.”
Road construction and the servicing of the land began in the spring and are expected to be fully completed by the end of the year. The result of the extension is an additional 24 acres of employment land that will be shovel-ready for development this spring or sooner.
The industrial park features easy access to Highway 11 and fibre internet connectivity in an area that has recently experienced considerable growth. The site is located directly across the street from the Lakehead University Orillia campus and the City of Orillia’s West Orillia Sports Complex.
In anticipation of the completion of construction, the city has been actively marketing the impending business park expansion.
“There was a strong level of interest in the industrial lands before and during the construction phase,” said Dan Landry, manager of business retention & expansion and industrial development.
“With the Hydro One development currently underway and the Ontario Provincial Police detachment nearing completion on the original Horne Business Park, the addition of the expansion lands creates tremendous opportunities for businesses to locate in a vibrant, premier industrial park.”
The original Horne Business Park was developed in 2015 and featured approximately 40 acres of employment land that was intended to cater to industrial growth in the City for the foreseeable future.
Hydro One has since secured most of the original business park lands, which will house the primary Ontario Grid Control Centre currently under construction on the site. Hydro One also plans to construct a provincial warehouse and a regional operations centre in the Horne Business Park.
“Hydro One coming to Orillia turned out to be a watershed opportunity for the City,” Clarke said.
“The business park expansion will enable other businesses and organizations seeking industrial land inventory and room for new opportunity to call Orillia home.”
The serviced lands are zoned M3 Business Park Industrial, which permits a wide range of light and medium industrial uses, as well as professional offices and other ancillary uses.
For more information, visit Orillia.ca/HorneBusinessPark.