Harrington gets second state grant as industrial project breaks ground

But Harrington faced the same fate of many American cities in the late 20th century – manufacturing companies moved their plants overseas and took those jobs with them.

“There was no real investment in the community,” he said. 

Now, as the city’s new economic development and community engagement coordinator, Poore is helping oversee a project he hopes will bring more stable manufacturing jobs back to the city.

The Harrington Industrial Park is a 131-acre property north of Messicks Road and east of U.S. Route 13 that is slated for industrial developments in the coming years. 

The project received a $900,000 grant from the state Monday, adding to the $1 million state grant the city received in 2022 and the $3.4 million federal grant in 2024. 

“I think it’s a good thing,” Harrington Mayor Frank Tolson said. “It’s going to bring businesses and jobs and revenue.”

There are also 1,100 single family homes and townhomes being constructed near the industrial park that will cost about $250,000 to $400,000, Poore said, providing housing for residents who move into the area for the new jobs. 

“This is going to very much energize the community,” Poore said. 

What will the Harrington Industrial Park be like?

The $5.3 million in grants will not fund the construction of any buildings, but rather the infrastructure the area needs to support industrial buildings, like sewer, water, electric and street improvements.

Companies will then either purchase land to build their own facilities or lease out buildings owned by capital investment firms, Poore said. 

Poore said the site will be ready for all kinds of different industrial industries, particularly manufacturing. 

“It’s set up so that really anybody that wants to come in, we can pretty much tweak and work the plan around to meet their needs,” Poore said. 

The area could also host small data centers because the city has access to high speed data, Poore said. They would be much smaller than the 6 million-square-foot hyperscale data center planned for Delaware City because there is not enough space for a project like that. 

The city of Harrington owns almost 37 acres of the site and is in “very early conversations” about selling them, Poore said. 

Companies J.P. Latham and OA Newton own the other 94 acres. There are a few small warehouses on those properties now. 

Jim Latham of J.P. said he thinks the project will be good for the area, but he has not yet spoken with any companies about selling the land. 

“I’m not going to make any concrete plans until we have a road in there,” Latham said. 

Harrington Assistant City Manager Amanda Marlow said the city acquired the property in 2008 but wasn’t able to develop it until now because of a lack of funding. 

Although there was a groundbreaking ceremony on the site on Wednesday, builders won’t actually break ground on the site until the spring, Marlow said. 

The infrastructure will then be completed in about 12 to 18 months, Marlow said. The city and the private landowners will be able to start selling after that is finished.