‘Project Bengal’ pitches 3 million-square-foot industrial project in Farmington

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Construction could begin as soon as next year on a development that would bring millions of square feet of new technology park or light industrial uses to a sprawling farm site in Farmington.

A developer doing business as Project Bengal LLC is pitching 3 million square feet of technology park space or 2.97 million square feet of light industrial for the 329-acre site northwest of County Road 50 and Pilot Knob Road, according to a newly released city document.

The document, known as an Alternative Urban Areawide Review, or AUAR, reveals that development in the area “is anticipated to begin” in 2025. The April 16 release of the AUAR launches a 30-day public comment period.

Tony Wippler, planning manager for the city of Farmington, said Wednesday that the size of the proposed development triggered the need for an AUAR, a review that looks at potential impacts on everything from fish and wildlife to greenhouse gas emissions.

The six-parcel development site is existing farmland, but it’s zoned for future industrial uses, he said. Under the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan, development in the project area would take place between 2020 and 2040.

Wippler said the Project Bengal LLC pitch is a “brand-new proposal.” Other than what’s in the AUAR, he said, the city isn’t able to share details about the proposer or the development plan because of a non-disclosure agreement.

Development would include “water service, sewer, stormwater, streets, and utilities,” according to the AUAR. “All new services would be extensions to existing infrastructure or upgrades to existing systems to support the new development.”

Located just west of Farmington High School, the development site is framed by Flagstaff Avenue to the west, 212th Street West to the south, Pilot Knob Road to the east, and “parcel boundaries to the north,” according to the AUAR.

Surrounding uses include farmland, industrial and residential development.

Farmington’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which was published in December 2019, identifies a need for new commercial and industrial uses in the city.

Commercial and industrial land uses account for only 3.4% of all land in the city, which “correlates to the urgency to increase these types of land uses to increase the tax base in the community,” according to the comp plan.

By contrast, the comp plan notes, 46% of the land is agriculture and nearly 17% is single-family detached housing.

At least one small industrial project was recently completed in Farmington and a larger one is in the works.

Aerospace Fabrication cut the ribbon last summer on a 13,333-square-foot expansion of its building in the Farmington Industrial Park, which is east of Pilot Knob Road on 208th Street West.

In a press release, Aerospace Fabrication said the addition would house stockroom, machine shop, secure facilities and cleanroom space, as well as an “expansive processing area.”

Deanna Kuennen, Farmington’s community development director, said the city has also had conversations with R&L Carriers about a 100,000-square-foot expansion of its space in the Farmington Industrial Park.

That project will go through the entitlement process this year and could also be under construction in 2024, Kuennen said.

Through the first quarter, roughly 2.25 million square feet of new industrial space was under construction in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market overall, according to a market report from CBRE.

Notable metro area construction starts in the first quarter include the Canterbury Industrial Center in Shakopee and the Seven Lakes III in Shoreview, which have a combined 282,000 square feet of space, according to CBRE.

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