Seeing the potential for an economic boost for Churchill County, developers Tim Tucker and Harvey Whittemore announced their plans for the Churchill Hazen Industrial Park (CHIP) to the Fallon Rotary Club on April 2.
CHIP is a proposed 2,308-acre business park located in Hazen on the south side of Highway 50A at the railway overpass, and takes advantage of the proximity of the Union Pacific railroad line there to establish a planned hub for rail and truck operations.
Development to occur in four phases
Working with Churchill County officials, Tucker and Whittemore are planning the development in four distinct phases and seeking designation as an intermodal contractor with Union Pacific. This designation would set up Churchill County as an asset for the development of regional and global trade by facilitating container travel from Hazen through to the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (companies located along USA Parkway) and on to the Port of Oakland.
Currently, Tucker and Whittemore are working with Churchill County officials and state and federal authorities to establish water and waste water improvements for CHIP, on land that is zoned for industrial use.
Public comment opportunities
Once the developers approach the county with their final plan, it will go through the planned unit development process which includes opportunities for public comment during planning commission meetings.
The initial development phase involves creating rail siding and to make the area more attractive to regional commercial businesses. The goal is to see growth in employment opportunities by encouraging data centers, distribution and manufacturing operations and corporate campuses to eventually relocate in Hazen to take advantage of the rail line, an advantage that CHIP has over the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.
Within the planned development, Tucker and Whittemore have set aside acreage to be donated to the county for services and offices.