Industrial growth

Mosaico working to modernize Bristol Industrial Park, accommodate new tenants

By Patrick Luce
Posted 8/11/16

Diana Campbell was in her office one day early this summer talking to a prospective tenant looking for space for his business in the Bristol Industrial Park. Like so many before him, the business …

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Industrial growth

Mosaico working to modernize Bristol Industrial Park, accommodate new tenants

Posted

Diana Campbell was in her office one day early this summer talking to a prospective tenant looking for space for his business in the Bristol Industrial Park. Like so many before him, the business owner ended the conversation disappointed.

“I just hung up with someone looking for space,” the park’s executive director said. “We’re still turning people away.”

And it’s not for lack of space. There are thousands of square feet of open space in the industrial complex on Wood Street owned by Mosaico Business and Community Development Corporation, and plenty of companies willing to fill it. Yet Ms. Campbell must turn away “at least two tenants a week. There is demand for this space.”

The problem stems from the disrepair the industrial park had fallen into before Mosaico bought it in 2010. “The last owner went into receivership and let the buildings go to pot,” Ms. Campbell said.

Most notably, roof damage was so extensive, it would actually rain inside the buildings, necessitating not only new roofs but repairs to the water damage inside. Plus, having been built well over a century ago, the complex obviously was not equipped with modern fire suppression equipment, which became necessary when Mosaico took ownership. Because of that lack of protection, the state Fire Marshal’s office has capped the park at a 60 percent occupancy rate, leaving otherwise usable space empty.

While workers are steadily installing sprinklers and alarms throughout the 300,000 square-foot complex divided into three clusters of buildings, such work takes time and money. Add in the complications of a building listed on the National Historic Registry, and the work is taking some time.

“It’s historic, so you can’t just go to Home Depot,” Ms Campbell said. “It’s slow-going because we have to rely on grants, and we’re not fully occupied.”

Mosaico has already spent several million dollars repairing roofs, installing new windows, cleaning up what was a brownfield site, and installing a new filtration system that will treat all runoff instead of sending it into the public sewer system, among many other extensive repairs.

The work is bearing fruit, as the tenant list continues to grow as new facilities are repaired and brought into fire code compliance. Ms. Campbell said the non-profit corporation is happy with the demand for the space and proud of its accomplishments repairing as much of the facility for tenants as it has so far.

One relatively new tenant drawing attention to the park is 365 Sports, a baseball training facility that rents space to athletes and baseball coaches for indoor practices throughout the year. The company also has workout facilities and a sports equipment retail store. “Coaches come in and rent time for their teams,” Ms. Campbell said. “It brings people into the neighborhood.”

The tenants in the Industrial Park run the gamut of industries, from artist studios like Tom Weathers Art & Sign and Norman Peterson, to manufacturing companies like Morgan Marine and Thundermist Powerboats. There are landscaping companies, welders, a skateboard design company and a furniture restoration firm, among many others. The park isn’t limited to industrial firms; office space is available for companies like Zeller Research LTD and others.

Mosaico continues to raise money through rent, grants and donations to prepare more space for prospective tenants, hoping to open up another 93,000 square feet by the end of the summer, Ms. Campbell said. The company is also hosting a Wood Street Pride event Aug. 21 to showcase not only the Industrial Park, but the improvements made to the Wood Street neighborhood in recent years. The event should also raise some money for the non-profit Mosaico to help the company build out the park.

“Money is tight, so it takes time,” Ms. Campbell said. “It’s slow going, but we’re getting it done.”

For more information about the park, visit bristolindustrialpark.com or call 401-253-2135.

Bristol Industrial Park, Mosiaco, Wood Street Pride

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