Governor Tom Wolf announced seven new Business in Our Sites (BOS) project approvals through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA), to support redevelopment projects in Pennsylvania projected to create more than 3,300 jobs.  One of the projects approvals is through The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Montgomery  and was approved for a $4 millon grant and a $8,047,210 loan to assist with the redevelopment of the former Rohm & Haas-Spring House facility located in Lower Gwynedd Township.

Governor Wolf explains:

“The Business in Our Sites program is a critical business development tool that allows us to prepare an arsenal of pad-ready sites for future business growth in Pennsylvania…The projects approved will take sites in need of redevelopment and prepare them for Pennsylvania’s businesses of tomorrow, today.”

The BOS program empowers communities to attract growing and expanding businesses by helping them build an inventory of ready sites. Approved projects can use the funding for any site development activities that are required to make the site shovel-ready. The sites must be previously utilized property or undeveloped property that is planned and zoned for development.

The proposed Spring House site was bought last March for $10 million, by the MRA Group of Horsham from the Dow Group (who owned Rohm & Haas) and will utilize BOS funds for infrastructure costs including: roads, fiber optic network, underground utilities, energy efficient hot and chilled water loop, stormwater basins, sanitary and chemical pump stations, electric, and parking areas. The total project cost is $32,047,210 and will create approximately 400 jobs.

Spring House Innovation Park (a development of MRA Group) proposes plans for the 11 building, 133- acre site and states on it’s website that:

Spring House Innovation Park is a premier, 133-acre multi-use campus. Comprised of 600,000 square feet of building space, Spring House will include a university-affiliated regional center of excellence for innovation and advanced production, and a business incubation and commercialization center. Our focus is in attracting companies that can best utilize the robust existing laboratory infrastructure and excellent location in the Delaware Valley.

In addition to first class office space and laboratory facilities, MRA desires to craft a campus environment with an on-site hotel, shared office/conference facilities, on-site child daycare, a health/fitness center, a retail village containing approximately 40,000 square feet of restaurants & other amenities, and a planned residential community. Retail, residential, and hotel uses are subject to zoning approval.

Spring House Innovation Park will not only be an asset for the multi-disciplined industries that work on-site but also a multi-generational destination for the surrounding community.

The space plans to include: