BELFAST - The City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to give a lot in the Airport Business Park to a green building entrepreneur in exchange for jobs.

Chris Corson of Northport proposes to develop the 2.6-acre parcel at the end of Little River Drive for use by his company EcoCor, which makes building components for passive house construction — a relatively new industry in which the combination of materials and design reduce the need for heating and cooling systems.

Under the agreement, the lot would cost $30,000. The price, however, would be waived in $10,000 increments if Corson creates a total of five full-time jobs in five years — three within the first three years, and one in each of the following years. The Council approved the terms but referred the agreement to the city attorney for review before closing the deal.

Belfast Economic Development Director Thomas Kittredge said the sale price and job requirments are consistent with some past sales within the business park. 

The Park stradles the city’s airport with branches on Airport Road and Little River Drive. It currently home to large businesses like Little River Apparel and Ducktrap River of Maine, and smaller ventures like South End Redemption Center and Coastal Helicopters.

The South Phase of the Business Park, accessed by Little River Drive, has five undeveloped lots, ranging from 1.6 to 1.8 acres, in addition to the parcel that would go to Corson and EcoCor. One of the other undeveloped lots is being considered as a new site for the USDA offices currently located on Route 137.

Kittredge said terms of sale for each lot in the Business Park are handled on a case-by-case basis.

In the case of EcoCor, he said, city officials saw potential connections between the new company and established businesses like G•O Logic and Mathews Brothers, which also focus on energy efficiency in homebuilding.

“Maybe you have the beginnings of a nascent energy efficiency industry cluster,” he said.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com