General Motors’ Parma Metal Center could soon say so-long to its 11-acre parking lot that’s attached by a pedestrian bridge.
According to a Cleveland.com report last Tuesday, the city of Parma has changed an ordinance that previously left GM responsible to demolish the pedestrian bridge should it sell the 11-acre plot of land that currently sits vacant. GM can now have any party interested in purchasing the site responsible for the demolish of the pedestrian bridge that attaches the metal stamping plant to the parking lot. The previous ordinance was passed in 1986.
The change in the ordinance leaves the door open for GM to sell the area it no longer uses and a spokesperson confirmed the automaker is “exploring opportunities for the parking lot property connected by a walkway across Chevrolet Boulevard.”
The city is ready and on standby to help with a potential sale, which could bring new commercial business to the area. The plot of land is already zoned a commercial industry area, which could provide a minor economic boost. Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter, said the city has effectively run out of green space to build, and the specific parcel of land could bring good-paying jobs to the city.
GM has upgraded a different parking lot at the metal center in preparation for a potential sale, as well.
The metal center employs 1,104 hourly workers, according to GM. It processes 1,000 tons of steel every day and stamps parts for nearly every single vehicle GM produces in North America. It’s capable of stamping and building 100 million parts per year. In 2017, it built 86 million.
Comment
This is only a few miles from where I live. The current stamping plant has sufficient parking on its own side of the street, and the other side is a gigantic parking lot, a relic from days when GM had a LOT more operations going on at Parma than they have in decades honestly. Even when they were still doing Powertrain at Parma, they didn’t really need that lot across the street, or most of it.
The parking lot looks completely abandoned, during the growing season you’ll find 4 foot weeds coming out of every crack in the pavement.
Good on GM to finally do something with this, it’s depressing to see and gives the brand a bad look.