Submitted photo The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency has begun marketing the shovel-ready site in Ripley, which is expected to be completed this year.

An effort to improve some vacant land in Ripley and make it ready for business development is moving ahead.

During the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency meeting, board members awarded a $5,101,000 bid for paving, water and sewer to S. St. George Enterprises, which was the lowest bidder. There will also be some electric infrastructure constructed as part of this contract to serve a sanitary sewer pump station and prepare for future roadway lighting.

The work is expected to begin in late May or early June, after the contract has been finalized and finished by the fall.

The county IDA is in the process of developing a 148 acre parcel near Shortman Road and Interstate 90. The project is being called the I-90 Veterans Memorial Commerce Park.

IDA Chief Executive Officer Mark Geise said they’ve been actively working on making the land “shovel ready” for the last four or five years now. The entire project is expected to cost around $16 million.

They’ve received funding from the county, state and federal governments.

Geise said they did not get a $3 million Economic Development Administration grant. Because of that, they’ve scaled back on the size of the road to 1,840 feet.

The original paving project was going to cost around $7.3 million but has been reduced to $5.1 million. Improvements are not being made at this time to Shortman Road.

Geise said they do have enough money to purchase an additional 85 acres of land nearby, which would be used for a Phase II project.

Geise added that the main electric and gas will be done in a future contract.

Once finished, the site will be suitable for logistics distribution, warehousing and light moratorium uses.

According to IDA Marketing and Communications Coordinator Jason Sample, marketing for the shovel-ready site is already underway with the website CHQShovelReady.com. It states, “Scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026, this site is divisible to suit your needs and will feature a new access road, municipal water & sanitary sewer, natural gas, electric, and telecommunication lines.”

The same website is also marketing 40 acres at the Joseph H. Mason Industrial Park in the town of Ellicott.