Broken Arrow Breaks Ground On 'Clean' Manufacturing Business Park

A 90-acre field in Broken Arrow may not look like much now, but construction is about to begin.

A rendering shows the city's goal for the Creek 51 Business Park, which they hope will attract new and existing "clean" manufacturing businesses.

City leaders and developers broke ground Monday morning on the land, which is on the south side of Highway 51, just west of the Creek Turnpike.

"We anticipate that the businesses here will be light industrial, distribution, light manufacturing," said Rex Robertson, president of Ford Development.

Robertson's company Ford Development bought the land a few years ago and always thought it would work as a business park.

Those plans came to fruition this year when the company agreed with taxing authorities to split the ad valorem tax 50/50 for the next decade.

Roberton says right now, the land only generates about 200 dollars a year in ad valorem tax, but fully developed, they anticipate it'll generate about a million dollars.

"It's kind of a no brainer for the taxing authorities to participate but again, we're grateful that they did and the cooperation from both the city of Broken Arrow and Wagoner County,” said Robertson.

Broken Arrow Mayor Craig Thurmond says they hope it'll also bring in new jobs and new companies - something he says the chamber of commerce hears a lot about.

"Weekly they get people requesting places for them to relocate at. We don't have just raw land ready for people to go,” said Thurmond.

But when this is completed, Thurmond says they'll have space for at least 18 to 20 different businesses.

A sign manufacturing business has already agreed to move into the business park.

It should be fully finished within 3 years.