Niagara, the second largest bottled water company in the United States, is constructing a new facility, this time in Fort Bend County. The company will break ground on a vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution center in Missouri City during summer 2012.
Niagara’s Missouri City plant is scheduled to be fully operational in Lakeview Business Park in the first quarter of 2013. When complete, the facility will encompass more than 356,000 square feet, with water processing, bottle manufacturing, warehousing and a distribution facility. The 168-acre Lakeview Business Park, located adjacent to major thoroughfares such as the Sam Houston Parkway, Highway 90A and U.S. Highway 59, is currently home to manufacturing and distribution companies representing a variety of industries.
Bob Graf, Missouri City’s Economic Development Coordinator, reported that Niagara will be including its planned Phase 2 in their initial construction plans, which adds production bottling line #3 to the facility. This also increases new competitive jobs to be created from 59 to 98 within the first year of operation and more than 269 direct and supplemental positions within its first ten years of operation in Missouri City. Missouri City, Fort Bend County, and FBWC&ID #2 granted property tax abatements to Niagara.
Niagara’s land purchase has spurred Lakeview Business Park developer Trammell Crow to move forward with $2.75 million in drainage and road improvements in Phase 2 of the business park. Missouri City has three years to reimburse Trammell Crow for these improvements and will do so with Metro sales tax rebates earmarked to be used for general mobility projects. Needed water and sewer improvements will be managed and reimbursed through WCID No. 2.
“On behalf of the City, we appreciate the coordination between Jack Belt of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council and Fort Bend County, to help bring Niagara to Missouri City,” said Mayor Owen. “From our first discussions, Niagara has talked about its involvement in the communities where its bottling plants are located, and we are really looking forward to welcoming our newest community partner.”
Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage worked with City and County officials throughout Niagara’s evaluation process of Missouri City as a potential location. “Niagara Bottling values quality, integrity and true civic involvement,” said Commissioner Prestage. “Working together, the City and the County were able to help Niagara find the perfect location—not just geographically, but in terms of the right community fit as well.”
“We’re a family-owned company,” said Brian Hess, executive vice president of operations and legal affairs for Niagara, “and the values of family and community are very important to us. We conducted comprehensive research before considering a new location, and Missouri City is the kind of place we want to call home.”
The Missouri City, Texas plant will be the company’s 12th location countrywide, and will serve an expansive regional market for private label bottled water. Headquartered in Ontario, California, Niagara has bottling plants in eight states including Texas. Niagara Bottling was represented by J. Michael Boyd of Boyd Commercial in the real estate transaction.