In a deal worth approximately $5 million, the town has agreed to sell 100 acres of undeveloped municipal land at Tiverton Business Park to an out-of-state company that plans a major industrial project that developers say will create hundreds of new jobs for the community in the next few years. 

Tiverton Town Council President Denise deMedeiros said at a meeting earlier this month that negotiations with NorthPoint Development Corp., headquartered in Kansas City, began in May and resulted in a purchase-and-sales agreement approved by the council during a closed executive session on June 13.

Town Administrator Chris Cotta said that in addition to the town-owned property, the company plans to purchase privately-owned parcels of land located adjacent to the business park.

During a presentation at the recent council meeting, NorthPoint representatives said the company will acquire a total of 275 acres, half of which will remain undeveloped. Plans call for an investment of $218 million in the project which will include construction of five state-of-the art buildings, in phases, that will be leased to commercial clients.

Ground-breaking may occur as early as next summer; however, because of the planning board approval process, deMedeiros said it is difficult to predict the actual start of the project.

“They have to go through a master plan, a preliminary plan, and a final plan, all of which will be open to the public and [subject to] public comment.” 

NorthPoint Project Manager Joe Franek said the buildings will have similar designs and be aesthetically pleasing.

“These are not the typical concrete boxes you might see on the side of the highway. We try to use neutral tones that will blend in naturally with the surrounding environment as well as being a bit more architecturally interesting than just a plain flat-sided building.” 

The company anticipates the project will generate more than 400 construction jobs and close to 700 permanent jobs, said Franek. 

Regional Vice President Christina Hubacek said NorthPoint, a privately-held company founded 10 years ago, has more than 550 industrial clients “ranging from General Motors to Chewy and everything in between.” She said in the northeast, commercial projects are currently underway in Warwick and Windsor, CT.

Hubacek said the company typically puts up buildings on spec, leases them, and holds onto them long-term.

“We don’t just come into a community to build a building and flip it to somebody else… We come into a community wanting to be a partner, because we are going to be here for the long haul.”

The 177-acre business park, formerly known as Tiverton Industrial Park, is located at the intersection of Route 24 and Fish Road. The town purchased the land in the late 1980s with the intention of expanding the tax base and creating new employment opportunities. Despite town officials’ efforts, attracting suitable businesses through the decades proved challenging. Currently, Tiverton Power and the Longplex Sports and Family Complex are housed at the site. Additionally, the operator of a self-storage facility recently purchased land and is in the design and permitting phase, according to the town website. 

Cotta said the agreement with NorthPoint represents the sale of the what remains of town-owned property available at the business park. “After three decades, the town will be out of the real estate business,” he said.

Company representatives emphasized they welcome community feedback. Comment cards relating to the project are available at town hall and NorthPoint representative contact information is posted on the town website.