The former Great Lakes Cheese manufacturing site in the Town of Cuba has been repurposed as the Cuba Business Park, the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency announced Dec. 4.
The IDA said the property’s new owners, Cuba Business Park LLC, will initially invest more than $1 million to renovate the facilities and prepare the space for warehousing, light manufacturing, and commercial tenants.
The Cuba Business Park is expected to initially support 30 full-time jobs across warehousing, light manufacturing, and other commercial uses, according to the IDA.
“Redeveloping the former Great Lakes Cheese plant is a prime example of our strategic approach: taking a high-value, underutilized industrial asset and putting it back to work,” said ACIDA Executive Director Craig Clark. “This site has the scale and location to attract significant new investment and create sustainable employment opportunities for our residents.”
Great Lakes Cheese donated the property to the IDA, which aimed to quickly repurpose the site and prevent it from remaining vacant. The IDA took a similar approach to another signature Allegany County manufacturing site, the former Dresser-Rand plant in Wellsville, which was repurposed as the Wellsville Business Park in late 2020.
“Working with the ACIDA has been essential in moving these projects forward,” said Joe Meindl, one of the owners. “In partnership, we’re transforming two underutilized sites into productive business parks that can support new tenants, new jobs, and long-term economic growth in Allegany County.”
The Cuba site spans 34 acres, with four existing buildings totaling approximately 190,292 square feet along County Road 6. The Cuba Business Park is expected to serve multiple tenants. Potential tenants were not identified in the announcement.
“We are excited about the investment into the former GLC site in South Cuba, that will bring new economic development opportunities and growth to Cuba and the county,” said Cuba Town Supervisor Lee James. “The Cuba Business Park will be developed as a multi-purpose facility, and initial indications show the potential of 30 manufacturing jobs, as well as other development investments.
“We look forward to working with owners Joseph Meindl and Alan Knauf, who have a proven track record for redevelopment in Allegany County.”
Great Lakes Cheese left Cuba for new Franklinville plant
Great Lakes Cheese exited its longtime home in Allegany County after building a brand-new facility in Franklinville, in neighboring Cattaraugus County.
The company initially eyed a site in Allegany County just north of Belmont, proposing a $505 million, 480,000 square-foot cheese manufacturing facility along County Route 20, but those plans were scuttled in 2021.
“The Cuba community has graciously hosted us since 1993, and we are proud that many of our employees continue to call the town home,” said Matt Wilkinson, Vice President, Technology & Business Development for Great Lakes Cheese. “It was important to us that this land be a tangible part of the community’s future.
“We appreciate the partnership of the ACIDA and the town of Cuba in facilitating this transition and hope Cuba Business Park will facilitate growth to benefit the community and its residents.”
IDA targets job creation at Cuba, Wellsville business parks
The IDA is offering a financial assistance package for the redevelopment that includes sales tax, mortgage recording tax, and real property tax exemptions under a lease-leaseback and Payment in Lieu of Taxes structure. In return, the project is expected to deliver public benefits including job creation, retention and expansion of local business activity, and increased long-term tax revenue, the IDA said.
Both the Cuba and Wellsville Business Parks are actively being marketed to prospective tenants for warehouse, manufacturing, and office space. Interested lessees may contact Joe Meindl at 585-370-7291 or jmeindl@armglobalsolutions.com
The Wellsville Business Park at 37 Coats St. in Wellsville offers more than 400,000 square feet of warehouse and manufacturing space plus over 50,000 square feet of office space, and features high-bay clearances (up to 55 feet), multiple loading docks, rail and road access, low-cost municipal electric service to lower tenant operating costs, secure fenced perimeter and video monitoring, and a location within a Federal Opportunity Zone.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Former Cuba cheese plant in Allegany County repurposed as business park
Reporting by Chris Potter, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
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