A Brighton company is eying Sibley Square in downtown Rochester for a research and development facility it claims would be the first of its kind in the world.
The UltraPhil project would cater to the beverage and packaging industry. UltraPhil is a subsidiary of JCS Process & Control Systems, which has operated in Brighton for 35 years.
Plans are to develop a facility that would accommodate production of milk, coffee, and tea, as well as juice products, records show.
The idea is to create a flexible manufacturing line for companies large and small to test their products. Items coming off the line would not be for re-sale but used as test or sale samples, for packaging and product trials, and for shelf-life studies.
Lab space as well as training facilities could be used by the likes of HP Hood out of Batavia or fairlife, which plans to build a dairy processing plant in Webster. But officials say customers could come from anywhere in the world.
Total investment is expected to be nearly $15 million, records show. The target opening date is July 2025, the long lead time allowing for construction, delivery and installation of equipment, and needed approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
UltraPhil would occupy 10,000 square feet, or less than half of one commercial floor at Sibley.
The mixed-use residential and commercial building encompasses 1 million square feet along East Main Street, with a number of larger commercial tenants, including NextCorps, an incubator for tech start-ups; the SunDensity photonics company; and SWBR design firm, to name a few.
Sibley and UltraPhil representatives declined to discuss the proposal, now before the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency, or COMIDA.
The company is seeking a sales tax exemption and other unspecified government assistance. It also is considering sites in Genesee and Ontario counties, as well as Indiana.
COMIDA has scheduled a public hearing on the tax incentives for Monday with a board vote possible on Tuesday. The agency also is considering sales and property tax breaks for fairlife this week.
