The Sumitomo Rubber Plant Closure Task Force’s Review Committee has selected the consultant team of Strategic Development Group (SDG), Terracon, and Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. to conduct a site analysis, impact, and feasibility study of the Sumitomo plant in the Town of Tonawanda. The study will provide a comprehensive report on the site conditions, geotechnical data, environmental impacts, infrastructure assets and needs, and marketability of the 129-acre property.
“We have taken another major step toward unlocking future uses and redevelopment of the Sumitomo site,” said Erie County Executive and Sumitomo Task Force chair Mark C. Poloncarz. “Before any strategies are developed or decisions made, we need to gather all the data possible about the conditions and marketability of this sprawling site. The selection of the SDG-Terracon-Nussbaumer & Clarke team gives me the utmost confidence that the Task Force and stakeholders will have the most comprehensive report possible.”
The $250,000 site analysis study is being funded by Empire State Development with additional support from National Grid and Invest Buffalo Niagara. Once officially kicked off, the analysis process should take SDG-Terracon-Nussbaumer & Clarke eight to ten weeks, resulting in a final comprehensive report.
“We know advanced manufacturing companies from across the country and globe are interested in calling Buffalo Niagara home, we just need the sites and buildings to locate them. Ensuring the Sumitomo site’s future use is one of significant job creation and capital investment for the region is of high importance to our organization and economy,” said Invest Buffalo Niagara President & CEO Tom Kucharski
The SDG-Terracon-Nussbaumer & Clarke was chosen from five respondents to a Request for Proposals issued by Invest Buffalo Niagara. The Review Committee was impressed by the SDG-Terracon-Nussbaumer & Clarke group’s experience with these types of complex redevelopment studies and their existing familiarity with the geotechnical conditions at the Sumitomo site.
“The work of the consultants will help develop a road map for moving forward with the Sumitomo site,” Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said. We want to be able to provide potential new owners with all the information they need to make productive decisions about a future manufacturing business at the plant. The Sumitomo Task Force looks forward to reviewing the report of Strategic Development Group, Terracon, and Nussbaumer & Clarke.”
The Review Committee included representatives from Erie County, Invest Buffalo Niagara, Empire State Development, National Grid, Town of Tonawanda, ECIDA/ILDC, and the WNY Industrial Real Estate Development Strategies Committee.SDG-Terracon-Nussbaumer & Clarke are officially under contract and work should formally commence in the coming weeks.
