May 19--In the tiny Madison County town of Ingalls (pop. 1,500), a giant industrial park could stimulate more growth not only in Ingalls but also in the Indianapolis metro area's northeast corridor.

The I-69 Trade Center, a 140-acre development planned by a partnership of Mann Properties and Opus Corp., will have 1.5 million square feet of space for manufacturing, distribution and office space. It is the first joint effort between the two companies.

The developers hope to break ground on the first building before the end of the year. When the park is filled, companies there easily could provide as many as 1,000 jobs to local residents, said John Cumming, vice president of real estate development for Opus North, a regional division of Opus.

"This is geared to companies who want to do business along the I-69 corridor submarket," Cumming said. "There's been an increase in activity in the Indianapolis area industrial market, so hopefully we will be getting under way before the end of the year."

The park initially will provide build-to-suit structures, but eventually some buildings may be constructed on spec, he said. Though it can accommodate buildings of up to 1 million square feet, he said most clients will need a range of 50,000 to 400,000 square feet.

Despite delays caused by negotiations over land-use issues and a large flood plain on the property, the site does have utilities and roads, Cumming said, so that won't hold up construction.

And the developers and leasing agent Colliers Turley Martin Tucker have had inquiries from local and out-of-state companies in manufacturing, automotive and pharmaceutical industries, he said.