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Tag Archive: Business Park

  1. Latest White Oaks Project, with Near $3 Million Price Tag, Ready to Wrap up for $10 Million-Plus Business

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    A multi-million-dollar project at the White Oaks development that began in January is still going strong eight months later. Not only going strong, but nearly finished.

    Since the start of the project in an area described as White Oaks Phase II-A, roughly 350,000 cubic yards of dirt has been moved at the site. Most of the work is being done to facilitate the future home of Jenkins Subaru and Jenkins Hyundai.

    “The contractor is just about ready to wrap things up and should be putting the finishing touches on the earth work,” said Austin Thrasher, the project manager representing High Tech Corridor Development who is responsible for development at White Oaks. “As we get into (this)week, I look for them to be spreading the topsoil.”

    Once finished there will be plenty of new, flat acreage available. The Jenkins family will assume 17.7 acres at White Oaks, 13.7 of which will be usable. The additional four acres will be hillside. All of the land is visible from the interstate.

    The Jenkins family of dealerships in Bridgeport will eventually move from their current location on Lodgeville Road and it is anticipated to begin construction in 2025. The current Jenkins property, which can be seen from the northbound side of I-79, is roughly eight acres. The current building is roughly 4,600 square feet. The new site will house buildings for both Subaru and Hyundai. The size of those buildings will be determined at the time of construction with input from the manufacturer. The project, according to the Jenkins family, will top $10 million.

    The entire work area will cover 40 acres, City Engineer Beth Fox said earlier this year. For those not familiar with the site work, it is in an area stretching from Route 131 to an area near The Thrasher Group building that is visible from the interstate.

    As part of the earth moving, another flat parcel was created, Thrasher said. He said it covers roughly seven acres and is separate from what the Jenkins family will obtain.

    Access will be able to be reached to the Jenkins acreage through White Oaks Boulevard. It can also be reached, said Thrasher, from a lower area before the main White Oaks entrance off of Saltwell Road known as Wildlife Lane. Those won’t be the only entrances to the new acreage.

    “We’ll be working on a turn lane to access the additional seven-acre parcel in the future; a left turn lad directly into that pad,” said Thrasher. “It is down from the assisted living facility you can see and during the construction there will always be one lane open so it should not disrupt traffic. If it does, it will be insignificant.”

    That leads to the question of whether the new pad was built to meet the needs of a client that was coming aboard. The answer, said Thrasher, is no.

    “That’s up for sale. We’ve had a few looks at it, but nothing significant or solid as far as something serious,” said Thrasher.

    Doss Enterprises handled the $2,851,282.70 earth-moving project, along with the placing of some infrastructure, as a lot of infrastructure was already in place. The Thrasher Group has handled the engineering.

    Original Article by Jeff Toquinto on connect-bridgeport.com
    Original Article Here
  2. White Oaks continues development in 3-phase build-out

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    White Oaks continues development in 3-phase build-out. The White Oaks planned business community comprises 470 acres that are home to offices, FBI support services, medical support services, oil ad gas businesses, national retailers, restaurants and vital amenities.

    Located at the intersection of Interstate 79 and W.Va. 279, the busy corridor sees an estimated average of 48,500 vehicles per day. It is adjacent to the $350 million United Hospital Center, at the doorstep of the FBI’s CJIS Division and the Biometric Center of Excellence. White Oaks is also located in the heart of Marcellus Shale play.

    Retail Village Building 1 is fully occupied, with the newest tenants being Rominger Dental, Bonnie Belle’s Pastries and Hermasilla’s Deli. They all opened their doors in 2017.

    Retail Village Building 2 is under construction, with the first tenant to be Starbucks, Bridgeport Community Development Director Andrea Kerr said.

    Starbucks occupies 2,200 square feet of the 8,749-square-foot building located directly across from Building 1, she said.

    “Starbucks is estimated to cost about $175,000, while the entire Retail 2 shell is $884,320. The second building will be similar in size to the first one, with room for additional tenants,” Kerr said.

    Thrasher said Starbucks will be located in the far right end of Retail Village 2 and feature a drive-through.

    “We are looking to turn over that portion of the building to the company by June 1,” Thrasher said. “It will also have a 550-square-foot patio. I anticipate it opening late this year.”

    Cove Run Construction is doing the site work on Retail 2. Lee Reger Builds is the building construction contractor.

    “There are four more bays available, with interested parties in discussion. We have no final contracts at this time,” Thrasher said.

    Clear Mountain Bank will be located directly behind Retail Village 2. Cove Run is doing the site work.

    “They are about ready to bid the architectural work,” Thrasher said. “Regional Eye Associates will be located near Friday’s, with Cove Run preparing the site and Elite Custom Builders doing the construction.”

    Phase II and Phase III are being marketed now, with Elite Custom Builders to be located across from the W.Va. 131 entrance to White Oaks near Bear Express and the Shell fuel station in an area referred to as The Wedge, Thrasher said.

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    A large vehicle dealership, Freedom Kia, opened in 2017 in Phase III of White Oaks, located off W.Va. 131.

    Hermasilla’s Deli Market, a longtime staple of the Fairmont community, recently opened the doors to a 32-seat second location at White Oaks.

    Along with its signature sandwiches — which feature hand-sliced meats, a wide selection of cheeses and an array of toppings, condiments and vegetables — the establishment also offers salads and sells meats and cheeses in bulk.

    “White Oaks has been very aggressive in developing their property. They don’t stop in the winter. It is a year-round operation,” Kerr said. “It is good for them and great for us. It is a fantastic partnership that we hope to see continue for many more years.”

    Craig Baker, Architecture Division manager for the Thrasher Group, agreed with that sentiment.

    “White Oaks should be commended for their steadfast commitment to the architectural design covenants of the park. They had a vision of what they wanted the park to be and stuck with it,” Baker said. “One thing that makes White Oaks special is how they continually strive to maintain their identity as one of West Virginia’s premier business locations. With the addition of the park and trail system, White Oaks has maintained its identity as a great place to work and play.”

    White Oaks Phase II does not currently have any lots sold. It is located just past the Manchin Clinic Assisted Living Facility that opened late last year.

    Thrasher explained that while Phase I and II are primarily billed as a high-end business park, Phase II will also be for industrial use. Freedom Kia is the first business to locate in that area.

    Freedom Kia was previously located on Emily Drive. However, it began to outgrow its space and decided to move in October.

    “It came to a point where the volume of sales, our service department could not support. It was a situation where to continue to grow and provide our customers the support and service we want them to continue to have, we needed to give them a facility to be able to do that,” General Manager Jadd Buchanan said.

    The dealership facility cost around $5 million, an investment that allowed the company to stay local.

    “This became our home. We built a business here, and we didn’t want to abandon the customers we had sold to or serviced over the years,” Buchanan said. “We wanted to provide a location that was much more user-friendly as far as access — now it’s right off I-79, Exit 125 on Saltwell Road. It’s easier to get to for our employees who live in the area, and our residents in this direct area, so I think that was an easy decision.”

    In its new location, Freedom Kia has tripled the size of its service department, having gone from four lifts to 12, and added a substantial amount of inventory. The space also includes a car wash, which is complimentary when a car is brought in for servicing, and it’s generally more accessible.

    General Sales Manager Dorsey Larew said the larger facility has several perks.

    “We can house more mechanics, and therefore get you in and out faster. Sales display was a little tough when you’re parking in a parking lot versus an actual dealership that was built for that, so that’s been good,” Larew said. “With the lot, you can drive around and be able to look at all of our cars without having to get out of yours.”

    Located at 97 Joy Lane near Bridgeport, accessibility is a prime feature of the new location.

    “We’re a lot more convenient to get in and out of,” Larew said. “Going down Emily Drive, it was tough to get in and out.”

    In addition to offering online credit applications and service appointments, a two-year maintenance plan and a lifetime of state inspections on every car purchased at the location, Freedom Kia also has people who truly enjoy their work, said Jeannie Boyles, who has been the receptionist for six years.

    “We have great people who work here. They’re dedicated, friendly, and are happy to be here,” Boyles said. “That’s important for the company — to be able to come to work and know what you’re doing. It brings a lot of customers in from around the area, and the customers appreciate that, knowing we care about them that much.”

    For the future, Buchanan is looking forward to continued growth and being able to enhance customer service even more, staying focused on giving every individual personal help. At the new location, Freedom Kia offers several complimentary amenities, including local transportation, a kids entertainment room, and more.

    Baker-Hughes owns a parcel in Phase III, but there has been no word on the future plans of the company for the site, Thrasher said.

    “We work with other developers, but own main developer is White Oaks Business Park and we work with Black Diamond Realty, Morgantown.

    Staff writer Darlene J. Swiger, The Exponent Telegram

  3. September Newsletter

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    View our September Newsletter: Black Diamond Trophy Reenergizes a Rivalry While Industrial Demand Ramps Up

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  4. White Oaks Continues to Expand, Attract Variety of Industries – The State Journal WV

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    Nearly a decade after construction first began to develop White Oaks off Jerry Dove Drive, the Bridgeport business park continues to live up to the expectations of Woody Thrasher and Jack Keeley.

    “When I started to work with high tech, there were no buildings here,” said Ron Stanley, manager of the White Oaks development. “Steptoe & Johnson had just closed on their parcel, and shortly thereafter, Premier Bank did. It has really, I think, for our area, exploded.”

    Stanley said the boom of the oil and gas industry in the late 2000s significantly helped the complex take off. Click Here to continue reading.

    Click Here to View the Marketing Flyer for White Oaks Business Park.

  5. May Newsletter

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    View our May Newsletter: 100+ Acre Interstate Development Located In…

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