Former Tyson Foods plant to be demolished

A grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will enable the town of Berlin to demolish a former Tyson Foods poultry plant that closed in 2003.

Roy Graber Headshot
Process of demolition of old building dismantling. Excavator breaking house. Destruction of dilapidated housing for new development.
Process of demolition of old building dismantling. Excavator breaking house. Destruction of dilapidated housing for new development.
(DedMityay | Bigstock)

A former Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Berlin, Maryland, will be demolished, to make way for new commercial real estate development in the town.

The plant, which according to a report from the Salisbury Daily Times, closed in 2003, and 13 years later, the property was purchased by the Town of Berlin.

To help finance the demolition of the building, town officials were notified by the office of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) that Berlin was approved for a $500,000 Strategic Demolition Fund Grant grant through the DHCD’s State Revitalization Program to assist with the demolition of the former poultry plant on a 64-acre tract of land on Old Ocean Boulevard in Berlin’s Heron Park.

““We were very excited to … learn of the approval of our grant application for this project,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said in a press release. “Town staff worked very hard on the application, and we look forward to receiving the official notification of approval before proceeding.”

According to Berlin’s press release, a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) is underway for the potential purchase or development of two of the parcels that make up Heron Park, including the parcel where the former Tyson Foods building is located.

The $500,000 grant to Berlin was among nearly $63 million in grants from DHCD that were awarded to 214 projects and activities that promote community development and economic growth. Funding was provided for at least one project in every county in Maryland.

“These projects and initiatives support responsible redevelopment that is driven by local partnerships,” the governor stated in a press release. “Our state revitalization programs spur economic growth in Maryland’s diverse and vibrant communities, attracting additional public, private, and nonprofit investment while improving quality of life for residents.”

Tyson Foods, according to the WATTPoultry.com Top Companies Database, processed 200.7 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2020.

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