The new owners of the former Kellogg’s property in east London made public Wednesday the first phase of their multi-year redevelopment plan for the site.
Officials with Tillsonburg-based E&E McLaughlin Ltd., the property’s owner, and Tourism London held a joint news conference at the site where they outlined their vision for phase one of the “100 Kellogg” development, dubbed one of the most ambitious urban regeneration projects in London’s history.
Phase one of “100 Kellogg,” set to open early next year, will see portions of the former factory used for The Factory, an indoor adventure area, Silverstacks, a new craft brewer, an office tower with up to 90,000 sq. ft. of office space, and a warehouse, officials said.
In a statement, Mayor Matt Brown called the redevelopment plan a significant investment in the Old East Village and the city at large, adding it will have a “significant economic impact for London.”
“I am confident that this will become a major destination in our city,” said Brown, who also spoke during Wednesday’s news conference.
The Factory will span 170,000 sq. ft. and will be outfitted with activities including indoor go karts, mini golf, a trampoline park, an arcade, and a large indoor ropes course with zip lines, among other things.
The brewery, to be operated by Matt Buckley, founder of Tobermory Brewing Company, will be housed in the former plant’s powerhouse building and will produce its own beer and beer for Tobermory. Plans are already underway to open up a supporting restaurant and tap house, Buckley said.
It’s just one of three craft brewers that are set to open in London’s burgeoning craft beer market in the near future. Silverstacks, Storm Stayed, and Beer Lab London will join four other craft breweries currently in operation in the Forest City.
Officials with E&E McLaughlin Ltd. say phase two and three of the project are expected to be announced in the future, but no concrete timeline has been set. Phase one alone will generate 15 full-time and 65 part-time jobs, said Kris Dinel of E&E McLaughlin Ltd.
E&E McLaughlin Ltd. filed a re-zoning application with the city to revamp the buildings for a mix of residential, commercial and light-industrial uses. A portion of the former Kellogg’s property has already been occupied by Drexel Industries, a warehousing, and logistics company.
The former plant opened in 1907 but was shuttered in Dec. 2014 when most of the jobs were shipped south to the U.S., leaving move than 460 without work. The property spans 23 acres of property and has 30 different buildings with a total of about one million sq. ft. of space.
— With files from Matthew Trevithick and Natalie Lovie
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