 |
Location – Within a two-hour drive of Summit Industrial Park is an enormous market of more than 6 million people, including the Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, MA; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; and Manchester, NH metropolitan areas. These areas are all served by an excellent transportation infrastructure including a well developed highway system, utilized by numerous common carrier trucking lines and freight terminals that facilitate distribution activities throughout the Northeast Corridor as well as nationwide.
Boston’s Logan Airport, just 65 miles away, and the proximity of additional airports in Worcester, Providence, and Manchester, provide convenient access to markets around the country and beyond for businesses who locate in Summit Industrial Park.
Local Permitting - Summit Industrial Park was recently designated as a 43 D Priority Development Area to enhance the already business friendly municipal permitting process in Gardner, providing streamlined methods for obtaining permits, variances, and other regulatory approvals while minimizing hassles and red tape. Our “Development Review Group” provides
an opportunity for you to meet informally with knowledgeable senior professional staff, to clarify early in the process what will be required by the various boards and commissions.
With on-site pre-approval for storm water and drainage systems, we anticipate most permitting and approval timelines for properties in Summit Industrial Park to be completed in 90 days or less.
Business Friendly Atmosphere – The northern center of the furniture-making industry and the home of Simplex Time Recorder Company for many generations, Gardner has in recent years attracted companies engaged in the emerging technologies-precision optics, biotechnology, magnetic resonance imaging, and computer cable manufacturing, for example. Within a 15-mile commuting radius of Summit Industrial Park is a labor force of approximately 70,000 workers, including experienced, skilled labor in such diverse key industries as biotechnology, electronics, plastics, machinery and fabricated metals, as well as an extensive network of specialized suppliers. On average labor costs are 38% below the Greater Boston area, while the Fitchburg-Leominster Metro Area, which includes Gardner, was identified as the least expensive urban area to live
in New England by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) in the latest ACCRA Cost of Living Index (COLI).
With a cost of living approximately 30% lower than nearby Boston, Gardner is at a distinct advantage when it comes to attracting new workers. The City provides a wide variety of housing stock at prices well below the regional and state averages (housing prices are 99% less expensive than Boston), in new and developed neighborhoods which are attractive and safe. A healthy downtown retail area, an award winning school system, a nearby ski resort, lakes and many other state and locally run recreational and cultural facilities a full-service community hospital, nearby child and adult day care, and other amenities make Gardner a great place to live, do business, and Summit Park a great place to work.
Cost of Doing Business – Not only are lots at Summit Industrial Park offered at among the lowest prices in the region, but since the park is a project of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority, this body is available to work with you to negotiate beneficial terms and help secure construction financing. Utility costs and taxes are lower in Gardner too. Combined water/sewer rates in Gardner are below those of the metropolitan Boston area, while average weekly wages are 32% below the state average.
Summit Industrial Park is an Economic Opportunity Area, designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This may make your company eligible for a 5% investment tax credit from the state, workforce assistance for training and retraining, and more. Local tax incentives combined to offer significant savings through tax increment financing or special assessments.
Affordable Business Development –Summit Industrial Park consists of approximately 125 acres, of which 30 remain available. Existing wetlands and conservation land create a natural buffer for residential areas near the site. The land is flat and lightly wooded, and can accommodate individual lots ranging from 1 to 20 acres, suitable for a wide variety of businesses. It’s zoned Industrial I for light industrial and commercial uses.
The primary access road, Suffolk Lane, entering from Route 101 extends 3,000 feet into the park. Water, sewer, storm drainage and underground electricity and telephone lines have already been installed, and have been planned to readily accommodate the park’s maximum potential development. When combined with the most competitive pricing on similarly zoned property in the area, the development costs, projected to be among the lowest in the region, make Summit Industrial Park a prime location and an exceptional opportunity for your business.
Permitted Uses Include:
Manufacturing, converting, fabricating and assembly;
Office and financial services;
Wholesale and distribution;
Research and development;
Printing and publishing;
Warehousing;
Scientific development and production (with special permit);
Education;
Day care (with special permit)
Existing Businesses in Summit Industrial Park:
Higgins Mechanical
| |
