There’s more than pollen swirling in the air throughout Southwold. Rumours abound that a buyer will soon be announced for the former Ford Canada St. Thomas Assembly Plant. Sean Dyke, CEO of the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation, would only say there has been plenty of activity on the 620-acre site, just north of Talbotville.
Southwold Mayor Grant Jones, likewise, would only acknowledge there have been discussions with a potential purchaser. With closure of the plant 10 years ago, Southwold lost about 40 per cent of its property tax base.
Since it closed in 2011, there have been plenty of rumours as to the future of the property. The latest involves Amazon showing interest as a possible site for a massive distribution centre.
Amazon spokesperson Vanessa Pontes advised, “Amazon is a dynamic business and we are constantly exploring new locations and weighing a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve customers, however, we have a policy of not commenting on our future roadmap and are not yet commenting on any specific operations plans in Talbotville.”
Dyke calls it one of the best industrial sites in Ontario.
The property had originally been listed by CBRE at $26.4 million. Two years ago CBRE broker Randy Fisher said the only condition he knew of on the property was no residential use.
