Coming to Pease in 2024: Big developments for Lonza, airport, furniture co., Sig Sauer

PORTSMOUTH — Work has begun on the construction of a major new warehouse and distribution facility at Pease International Tradeport.

Developers Procon Inc. and The Kane Company have joined forces to build a “supply chain management facility” at 100 New Hampshire Ave., rather than the advanced manufacturing plant they previously pitched for the site.

The developers, who also operate as Aviation Avenue Group LLC., are building the facility for Fidelitone, “a company that represents a nationwide home merchandising company,” according to Michael Mates, the Pease Development Authority’s director of engineering.

Paul Brean, executive director of the Pease Development Authority, said PDA officials are “really excited about the project.”

The developers, who are both well known throughout the state, have fenced in the property and begun site work.

“It’s a really good fit for that part of the tradeport. The tenant would like to be completely operational by this time next year,” Brean said during a recent interview about ongoing and expected development in 2024 at the former Pease Air Force base. “The facility is for larger scale delivery of high-end retail.”

The development team “feels confident they can get that building completed next year,” Brean said.

He added Fidelitone "really wants to be in New Hampshire” to take advantage of the tradeport’s location close to major highways, including Interstate 95 and the Spaulding Turnpike.

“You can be north and south in a matter of minutes to large urban markets,” Brean said.

John Stebbins, the managing director of Procon, previously estimated 30-70 people will work at the New Hampshire Avenue facility, and about 20 will be driving the box trucks that deliver the furniture.

The warehouse and distribution facility will be 102,000 square feet, with “all the furniture that’s going to be flowing through the facility … brought in trucks,” Stebbins said.

Between 25 to 30 box trucks will be loaded up in the mornings, then head out to deliver the furniture through the Seacoast, and return to the site in the mid- to late afternoon, Stebbins said.

“Their operations are Tuesday through Saturday. It’s white glove delivery,” he added.

Lonza's newest Pease expansion could bring cure for diabetes

Brean proudly pointed to the ongoing work by Lonza Biologics to build a new manufacturing facility at Pease “that could help lead to a cure for diabetes.”

Lonza broke ground in August on the latest addition to its Pease campus that is moving toward a combined 1 million square feet. Operated by Lonza, the new facility off Goose Bay Drive at the Tradeport will be more than 130,000 square feet.

The company is partnering with Vertex at the site to develop islet cell therapies aimed at producing “curative therapies.”

Vertex and Lonza have partnered in the process development and scale up for the manufacturing of the product portfolio and co-invested to build the new plant.

“This is a project that my staff has been working on for multiple years, to look and see what’s the best possible use for the parcel, and closely working with Lonza to identify their needs,” Brean said. “Ultimately we produced a developable parcel that’s going to host a game-changing medical gene cell therapy. It’s so exciting, and it ties into the biopharma growth in the state.”

Seeing Lonza and Vertex combine to create such an important medical manufacturing facility at Pease, shows that the PDA “can compete with other areas and make this economically viable, but also get the talented people to work in the field,” Brean said.

Sig Sauer growing its presence at Pease headquarters

Gunmaker Sig Sauer announced in August 2022 it was planning a major expansion on a 20-acre parcel at the Pease International Tradeport, in conjunction with developers Two International Group.

The proposed new development at 165 Arboretum Drive called for plans to house “an expansion of Sig Sauer’s operations at Pease, and would include light manufacturing, warehouse space and office uses,” Brean said at the time.

The potential site for the development is located “directly adjacent to the roundabout at the northern end of the Pease International Tradeport,” Brean said.

Brean acknowledged “it hasn’t been an easy parcel” to redevelop, based in part because of the presence of an old Air Force pipeline that ran through the property.

The PDA and Sig Sauer “continue to work on the design and engineering and permitting process” for the project, Brean said.

“It’s been somewhat of a longer development process,” Brean said. “At the end of the day we want to make sure we’re restoring that correctly."

Sig Sauer made the initial announcement about its potential expansion at Pease after receiving “the largest small arms contract in history by the U.S. Army with the Next Generation Squad Weapons contract valued at over $4 billion,” according to Samantha Piatt, Sig Sauer's director of communications and media relations.

Sig Sauer already supplies every branch of the U.S. military with the Modular Handgun System for the M17 and M18, according to Piatt.

“Sig Sauer is a long-standing Pease tenant at 72 Pease Boulevard and provides a large number of skilled jobs at Pease and throughout its New Hampshire facilities,” Brean said at the time.

Sig Sauer is headquartered at Pease with facilities in Rochester and Epping.

Allegiant Air still flying to Florida from Pease as airport work progresses

Brean recently confirmed low-cost airline Allegiant Air is not renewing its route from the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease to Nashville in 2024.

Allegiant offered the flights from Portsmouth to Nashville from June to September in 2023, Brean said.

“They ran their seasonal schedule as advertised. They didn’t halt it, they didn’t cut it short, but we don’t see it lining up for next year,” he said.

He noted Allegiant continues to offer what have traditionally been and continue to be strong routes out of Portsmouth to Florida locations like Punta Gorda and Sanford.

“They’re doing extremely well,” Brean said. “That model of really getting people who want to enjoy sunshine in the winter from Portsmouth is working."

Despite the loss of the Nashville route — at least for now — Brean said the PDA remains “very happy to hold on to the great ultra-low fare airline that we have in Allegiant.”

Asked about the potential to add a second airline at Portsmouth, Brean said, “I would just say the industry really … was probably one of the most impacted industries during the pandemic.”

“Airlines continue to struggle with aircraft resources, flight crews and finding customer service,” he said. “Airlines are not in the position to try to do anything radical.”

“During the next couple of years, it’s probably going to be a challenge to gain air service,” Brean acknowledged.

Arrivals Hall taking shape at Pease airport

Work is continuing on the updating and expansion of the Pease Arrivals Hall at the Portsmouth International Airport, Brean confirmed.

“We’re adding 5,200 square feet of additional space at the airport and replacing outdated Air Force base-era utilities, specifically electric,” Brean said.

The expansion and updated Arrivals Hall project “will improve our arrivals capacity, alleviating current congestion, increasing accessibility, and supporting future growth at the airport,” PDA officials state in project documents.

“This project will also include the replacement of our 65-year-old outdated electric services, add LED lighting throughout the terminal, and create more windows to maximize natural light, all of which combine to help make our airport become more energy efficient.”

The project, which is being paid for in large part through a $7 million Federal Aviation Administration grant, will feature “a redesigned baggage claim area and the relocation of rental car counters, parking kiosks, and information and customer service booths.”

The goal of the project is to “improve the overall passenger experience, from the moment of arrival, whether you’re taking off or landing here,” according to project documents.

The upcoming improvements to the airport at Pease follow a $19.5 million terminal expansion unveiled in early 2021.

Limited parcels remain at Pease

The popularity of the tradeport has for a variety of businesses and companies reduced the number of available parcels there, Brean said.

“We do not have a lot of remaining parcels at Pease. We only have three non-aeronautical parcels that would meet zoning requirements for industrial development,” he said. “All three would be maxed out with about a five-acre build.”

None of the three are yet “under agreement for future development,” he noted.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Pease International Tradeport development projects coming in 2024