WESTOVER, MD - Maryland's Economic Development Corporation awarded Somerset County $10,000 to complete a site characterization study of its undeveloped industrial park.
The approximately 150-acre property off of Revell's Neck Road in Westover was originally an agricultural property. In the 2000s, Walmart purchased the site to build a distribution center, and the field was rezoned as industrial.
"We always liked it, even before Walmart was looking at it," Daniel Thompson, Director of Economic Development for Somerset County, said of the property.
Walmart later sold the property back to its previous owner. In 2023, Somerset County purchased the site using state funds for economic growth.
"We used about half of it to acquire the site," Thompson said. "The other half will be used at the site for infrastructure improvement as we go through that process."
Jesse Drewer is Somerset County's Director of Technical and Community Services, Planning and Zoning. He tells WBOC that while plans for the industrial park have not been finalized, the county has a good indication of what it will look like.
"We have approximately 24 lots that will be available of ranging size from one acre up to nine acres," Drewer said.
The characterization study aims to determine what industries are best suited to the site and what infrastructure the county should invest in with the other half of the initial funding.
"We want to make sure that not only the county spends its money wisely but also the private sector," Thompson said. "Make sure they're in the right market area and we can help alleviate some of that by doing the study."
County officials tell WBOC that businesses from various industries, including agriculture, cold storage, seafood, and aerospace, have indicated their interest in purchasing a lot.
"It's a regional approach, it will even help some of our neighboring counties," Thompson said.
Planning and zoning employees said they hope to break ground on necessary infrastructure additions to the industrial site within the next year or two. The characterization study is expected to begin sometime in the fall.