JEFFERSONVILLE — River Ridge Commerce Center is expected to have an over $2 billion economic impact overall in 2018 — up from $1.7 billion last year, according to a draft of the business and industrial park’s 2017 economic impact analysis.
Jerry Acy, River Ridge’s executive director, presented the fact at Tuesday night’s River Ridge Development Authority meeting, calling the number a “gee whiz” factor.
The commerce center’s impact has grown “exponentially” in the last couple of years, he said. In 2012, Acy believes that the commerce center had a $200 million impact.
At Tuesday’s meeting, board members sought to increase River Ridge’s impact as they took action on nine different agenda items, including several infrastructure projects.
SPEC BUILDING APPROVED
Gray Construction is building yet another facility at River Ridge that they plan to lease out to another user, according to Acy.
A couple weeks ago, the Lexington-based company closed with the commerce center on a 20.9-acre site behind where Optum used to be with plans to build a 250,000-square foot speculative building in the spot.
Their plans set aside room for 50,000 more square-feet of development.
The project will be Gray Construction’s second speculative building at River Ridge. Their first, which they have sold to another company, is next to Autoneum along Ind. 62. As part of Gray Construction’s River Ridge purchase, the commerce center will be improving Lewman Way, a road next to their site.
River Ridge’s board approved the $1.8 million in changes to Lewman Way at Tuesday’s meeting, construction of which will be taken care of by T+C Contracting.
The planned alterations will bring Lewman Way up to the commerce center’s standard, which means three lanes, curbs and gutters. The project also includes the construction of a small road called Lewman Court, which will serve a Mr. P Express training facility and future building site.