INGLESIDE – The first phase of a multi-million dollar warehousing and logistics center in Ingleside is likely to take off early next year.
The first section of the building on the northwest corner of Industrial Drive and 45th Parallel Drive will be 225,000 square feet – about the size of four football fields. When all the phases are complete the building will be a massive 770,000 square feet or about 14 football fields.
The entire footprint is roughly three-and-a-half times the size of the preliminary plans presented to council this summer.
South Stormont council sold 60 acres (24 hectares) of land in July in the Ingleside industrial park for $1.2 million to Wills Realco Inc. — the real estate arm of Wills Transfer Limited.
On Wednesday night (Dec. 16), it gave approval for staff to put together a site plan control agreement, which lays out all the building schematics. The township has also hired an engineering consultant with expertise in these large warehouses and logistics centers.
Planner Peter Young told council that there will need to be an amendment to reduce the number of parking spaces on the site, given that the township’s building rules predate automation. Normally, buildings are required to have a designated number of parking spaces per square feet of building space.
If all goes according to plan, Young says the township could be issuing a building permit “early in the new year.”
“We’re all excited about this project,” Mayor Bryan McGillis remarked.
Wills Transfer is a warehousing and third party logistics company with locations in Smiths Falls, Brockville, Ottawa and Perth. The company ships raw materials and finished items for other companies.