Riverfork West Infrastructure Development

Posted July 12, 2023

Huntington, Ind. – The City of Huntington and the Huntington County Economic Development Corporation celebrated the completion of a $3.4 million Phase 1 Infrastructure Project designed to serve the new Riverfork West Industrial Park that is under development on Huntington’s southwest side. The City’s commitment to infrastructure made it possible for the Huntington County Economic Development Corporation (HCEDC) to sell Lot #1 to Teijin Automotive Technologies Inc., and construction of Teijin’s new $110 million facility on the company’s 30-acre tract is well underway.

Including Teijin’s 30 acres, the total acreage at the Riverfork West Industrial Park is approximately 172 acres.

“These are once-in-a-generation opportunities and the City team is using it to make infrastructure improvements that benefit existing residents and businesses in addition to new industry,” Huntington Mayor Richard Strick said.

“The local economic development team and various mayoral administrations since 1980 have dreamed about an industrial park at this location,” said Mark Wickersham, executive director for the Huntington County Economic Development Corporation. “The teamwork between the City, HCEDC, local lending institutions and the previous property owners combined to create this exciting opportunity that is now becoming a reality,” Wickersham added.

Industrial parks in the City of Huntington – Riverfork Industrial Park, Riverfork West Industrial Park, Commercial Road Industrial Park, Park 24 Industrial Park and the Erie Neighborhood Industrial Park – account for more than 50 percent of the community’s property tax base. Employers in those industrial parks also are providing job opportunities for nearly 40 percent of the overall workforce, creating a compelling case for continued industrial development.

According to HCEDC, the 260-acre Riverfork Industrial Park east had an assessed value for real property taxation in 1980 of approximately $234,000. Today, the combined assessed value for the same acreage approaches $37 million, or about 160 times more than when it was a farm at the edge of Huntington. The original Riverfork Industrial Park east is home to Bendix and many other manufacturers.

Local economic development officials are confident the investment in the adjacent Riverfork West Industrial Park will produce a similar economic impact. Infrastructure projects such as those in Phase 1 are the backbone of making this a success. These include work backed by the City to reconstruct 1,550 feet of 200 N, construct 1,110 feet of the new Progress Drive, install 1,900 feet of new sidewalk and 2,100 feet of new water main, and add turn lanes to southbound State Road 9 and 200 N.

“It has been a tremendous experience working with our public and private sector partners to translate this idea into a reality,” Mayor Strick said. “Even as we celebrate today and the completion of Phase I, design and planning is already underway to kick off Phase II infrastructure improvements.”

The Huntington County Board of Commissioners has also committed $100,000 in CEDIT funds toward the Phase 1 Infrastructure Project’s completion. The Commissioners are Rob Miller (president), Tom Wall (vice president) and Terry Stoffel.