Company asking for expansionv

[email protected]
Last summer, Richard D. Poole Inc. got final municipal approval to build a 341,000-square-foot distribution center in East Manchester Township, York County. Soon after, the general contractor/construction manager found a business interested in occupying the building, said Richard D. Poole, the company’s chief executive officer.
Then, on Sept. 11, terrorists attacked America.
The prospective tenant cancelled its proposed deal, Poole said, declining to identify the party. Undeterred by the setback, the York Township, York County-based contractor continued planning to build the warehouse at its Brickyard Industrial Park.
On July 26, the company’s engineer told East Manchester Township officials it would file paperwork July 31 seeking permission to expand its building by 40,000 square feet, said Deborah Siders, zoning officer for the township. A refrigeration and freezer user would occupy the structure, she said, adding that she did not know the name of the company.
The additional space would also accommodate a larger parking area for tractor-trailers at the distribution center, Siders said. The building would be housed on 24 of the industrial park’s 107 acres, she said. If all goes as scheduled, the township’s board of supervisors would vote in September on Richard D. Poole’s request to revise its land development plan, Siders said. She expects the application will be approved.
Though Poole confirmed his company intends to ask for a sanction to construct a larger warehouse than it had proposed, he declined to discuss any prospective tenants.
“We have had inquiries from several companies looking for about 50 acres at the industrial park,” Poole said. The park’s rail access has made it especially attractive, he said.
Two or three of those companies were represented by the York County Economic Development Corp., Poole said. The nonprofit attracts and retains businesses in the county, often by helping them secure public money. Darrell Auterson, president of the YCEDC, declined to comment.
Earlier this year, Richard D. Poole started building a 193,000-square-foot distribution center at Brickyard Industrial Park for Harley-Davidson Motor Co., the park’s first tenant. The center will sit on 32 acres, Poole said.
The park is off North George Street Extension, just east of Manchester Township. That municipality is a hotbed for much of the county’s distribution center acivity.