GEARING UP FOR A MAJOR PROJECT
January 6, 2021Uncategorized
Final site plan approved for new Great Lakes Power Products world headquarters in Madison Village
By Bill DeBus bdebus@news-herald.com @bdebusnh on Twitter
Final site plan approved for new Great Lakes Power Products world headquarters
Great Lakes Power Products has moved a step closer toward beginning construction of its new world headquarters in Madison Village. The final site plan for the company’s 110,000-square-foot building was approved by the Madison Village Planning Commission at a meeting last week. By formally expressing its support, the commission provided administrative approval of the project for purposes such as zoning, development of a stormwater management plan, and architectural review, said village Administrator Dwayne Bailey. Panel members voted unanimously in favor of the plan, which now goes to the Lake County government for further review. The county will examine the company’s plan for items that include construction practices and adherence with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
Lake County also will issue building permits for the company’s project. Great Lakes Power Products, which is currently based in Mentor, intends to construct a new building on River Street, also known as Route 528. The project will be built on property bordering the southeast side of the Interstate 90 and Route 528 interchange, and stretching south to Route 307. “We spent a lot of time in the building design and the development of this structure,” said Harry Allen Jr., Great Lakes Power Products chairman and founder, during the Dec. 21 meeting. “And at the end of the day, this is going to be quite an asset to the village of Madison and the county of Lake.”
The company will consolidate its current headquarters at 7455 Tyler Blvd. in Mentor with a service center it operates at 3691 Shepard Road in Perry Township and move them to the new building in Madison. Plans call for the company to bring 50 full-time jobs with a total annual payroll of $3 million to the Madison Village location. The planning commission, along with giving its blessing to the final site plan, approved subdivision of the land that the company bought to build its headquarters and accommodate other business development. In the northwest corner of the company’s property bordering I-90 and Route 528, a new Love’s Travel Stop will be built. Love’s also received final site plan approval for its project at the Dec. 21 meeting.
Great Lakes Power Products headquarters will occupy 15 acres and Love’s Travel Stop is being constructed on 18 acres, Bailey said. Overall, the land purchased for development by Great Lakes Power Products comprises about 48 acres. Subdivision stipulates how the property will be legally reconfigured for what’s being built upon it, Bailey explained. “The boundaries have to be changed to accommodate the new public roadway that’s going to be in there, and to create a site for the Love’s and a site for Great Lakes Power,” Bailey said. “So that is the resubdivision of the land, creating new property lines and the new dedicated public roadway that’s going to bisect the property.” Lakeland Construction, based in Painesville Township, is serving as the design-build firm for Great Lakes Power Product’s new world headquarters. Bill Vondra, an engineer and consultant contracted by Lakeland Construction for the project, attended the Dec. 21 meeting.
Vondra was asked by Planning Commission Chairman Mark Vest about when ground would be broken for the project. “We’ll start moving earth as soon as we can,” he said. “The big thing is weather constraints and controlling soil runoff and all the good things to keep the environment happy.” Vondra said some of the permits from the Army Corps of Engineers are in place for the Great Lakes Power Products and Love’s sites. Great Lakes Power, founded in 1973, is a full-line distributor, manufacturer and rebuilder of power transmission products and accessories. The company consists of 13 locations nationwide with a total workforce of about 160 employees, said Great Lakes Power Products Vice President Andrea Morris, who is the daughter of Harry Allen Jr.
In February, the company received a Madison Village Economic Incentive Grant for construction of its headquarters.
The grant contract states that the company intends to spend about $9 million for building and land construction and $2 million for machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures. The grant provides a way for the village to help the company finance the construction project, as long as the company maintains a staff of at least 50 full-time employees and a payroll of $3 million each year, for a 10-year period.