Genuine Local pitches ag hub for State School land

LACONIA — Genuine Local, which helps people start or grow food businesses, would do some major growing itself under a proposal for it to take up residence on about 20 acres of the former Laconia State School property.

Members of the Lakeshore Redevelopment Planning Commission, which is charged with fostering economic development on 200 acres of state-owned land at North Main Street and Meredith Center road, expressed general support for the proposal at a meeting Tuesday.

Mary Macdonald, co-founder of Genuine Local, laid out what she described as a “very big vision.”

She said the company is a food production accelerator. It gives food businesses access to larger production equipment, aggregated purchasing for ingredients and packaging, food testing, business development services, production process and compliance.

If it were to locate on the former State School property in the heart of Laconia, it could help more farmers and businesses, while providing other advantages for the community, Macdonald said.

“We want to be the entrepreneurial hub where food is grown, processed, aggregated, distributed, sold and served and where all the associated skills are taught, learned and practiced,” she said.

The hub would include active agriculture, greenhouses and orchards. It would use land that fronts on Route 106 near an existing dairy barn and a stone barn. The structures, if improved, could be used for production space, retail, a cafe, event space and a restaurant.

“We bring a lot of experience to the table,” Macdonald said. “I personally have over 25 years of regulatory compliance experience, with 11 years in the food industry, but there’s another 20 to 25 years of experience the rest of the team brings to the table in food production, customer support and process management.”

She said that, so far, her company has partnered with 22 local farms and 150 food businesses.

Genuine Local opened in 2016. It employs six people full-time. That number would grow to 21 under this proposal, Macdonald said. She that, through the services it offers, the company indirectly supports 350 jobs, and this number would grow as well.

In 2017, Genuine Local helped produce about 500 units or containers of food. That number has grown to more than 1,000 on an annual basis.

Ultimately, the commission will submit a development plan to the Legislature for its consideration. Major investments will be needed to upgrade sewer and water lines and to build roads at the site.

Commissioner Bob Cheney said the plan should include an agricultural component along the lines suggested by Macdonald. The commission unanimously approved his recommendation.

A draft master plan for the property that has been drawn up with the help of consultants also includes:

— A 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot regional sports center to be used for indoor courts and recreational uses. The goal would be to attract tournaments that would also bring families to the area and boost tourism businesses.

— A 40,000- to 100,000-square-foot wellness facility for clinical and specialty care as well as other provider services. Such a facility would include higher-paying jobs.

— A 100- to 150-room resort style or boutique hotel, preferably in historic buildings on the former State School site.

— A residential component of 75 single and duplex homes, 150 middle-income starter homes, 120 market rate apartments or town homes. Planners say more housing could attract more workers at a time when businesses are having difficulty filling open positions or expanding.

— A commercial component of 10,000 square feet of retail, a 5,000- to 7,500-square-foot restaurant and 7,500 to 15,000 square feet of commercial office space.

— A community space for training and classes.

— Protected open space (amount to be determined).