| Here's
a sampling of who's moving in, most at the Airport
Industrial Park:
-
Alumi-Guard Inc., a manufacturer of ornamental
aluminum products, moved into a 200,000-squarefoot
facility in the Corporate AirPark.
-
Florida Irrigation Products, a distributor
of irrigation supplies, moved into a new 54,000-square-foot
facility. o HiTek, a manufacturer of roofing
trusses, moved into a 30,000-square-foot facility
at the Cortez Crossings business park.
-
S&W HealthCare, a distributor of medical supplies,
moved into a 25,000-square-foot facility.
-
TG United Labs, a manufacturer of pharmaceutical
medications and a subsidiary of MCR American
Pharmaceuticals, a Brooksville-based company,
moved into an 18,000-square-foot building.
-
Universal Microwave Corporation (see MBR, September
2005) is moving into a 20,000-square-foot building
in Cortez Crossing.
The majority of firms are moving into one of the
airport's three business parks where business seems
to be booming. "The Airport Industrial Park is 100
percent leased," says Don Silvernell, airport director.
"The RailPark is close behind and the Corporate
Air- Park is about 50 percent leased."
Closer
to Nature
For tourists whose only knowledge
of Florida is its beaches, Hernando
County is a world apart. Although the
county is bordered on the west by the
Gulf of Mexico and pristine Hernando
Beach...
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|
Space at the AirPark might soon be in more demand
if a planned east-west road is completed on the
south side of the airport. The new road would connect
Corporate Boulevard and U.S. 41 (soon to be widened
into a four-lane road by the Florida Department
of Transportation) and give companies greater access
to this section of the airport.
And plans are underway to develop a fourth industrial
park at the southwest corner of the airport, Silvernell
reports.
The airport ( www.co.hernando.fl.us/Airport)
is also experiencing a boom in aviation services,
with a waiting list to house corporate and private
jets. Some 160 private aircraft are based at the
airport, Silvernell says, and he hopes to house
more in the near future.
Plans call for two more hangars for some 20 additional
planes. In addition, American Aviation, the airport's
fixed-base operation, recently completed construction
of a second 33,000-square-foot hangar to create
additional facilities for corporate jets.
A Rising Tide
While the closing of Tampa Bay Executive Airport
in Pasco County last year may be contributing to
the demand for services at the Hernando Airport,
Silvernell also points to Hernando's rising population.
In the 1980s, Hernando had 44,469 residents, according
to county records.
In 1990, the population jumped to 101,115 residents.
By June 2005, the number had increased to 154,224.
And, more are coming, especially with the abundance
of planned residential communities.
"The county is growing very rapidly," says Adams.
"We used to issue maybe 2,000-3,000 residential
housing permits a year. Now we're up to 3,000 to
4,000 a year. And, we're hooking up utilities at
the rate of 400 per month compared to 100 a month
a few years ago. The building department can barely
keep up with the demand, even with a 6-day work
week."
For McHugh, the rising numbers of residential housing
presents two challenges: balanced growth and affordability.
"We want our land use diversified among commercial,
industrial and residential without it being too
heavily weighted in any one area," he says. "As
far as costs, you can still get pretty good value
here. Housing and land continue to be five to ten
percent below the state average, but like the rest
of the region, values are increasing. And that's
a concern for us. We want to be sensitive to the
affordability of doing business in Hernando County."
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