TAYLOR, Mich. – Ford has agreed to take over the former Masco building and former Kmart property in Taylor.
Ford Motor Co. will occupy the former Masco headquarters building at 21001 Van Born Road - and will also occupy the vacant former Kmart property right next door at 21111 Van Born. Masco owned both sites.
Taylor’s Kmart closed in 2016 as part of a nationwide shutdown of locations by Sears, its parent company. It was Downriver’s last remaining Kmart.
“We’ve worked with Masco for the past couple of years,” said Mayor Rick Sollars. “They never wanted to leave the City of Taylor in a lurch, and they had four options: sell, lease, donate the site to an educational institution or demolish the entire property and create a park, etc.
“We’re happy with this arrangement. Naturally, you want to land on your feet in these types of situations. This is a win-win-win – in fact, anytime you land Ford, it’s a big win. But Masco, the city and, of course, Ford all are winners in this situation.”
Ford has also leased an adjacent 140,000-square-foot former retail store owned by Masco. The space will be used for additional capacity throughout Ford’s Dearborn campus transformation.
The announcement is part of Ford’s 10-year transformation of its more than 60-year-old Dearborn facilities, which will co-locate 30,000 employees from 70 buildings today into primarily two locations – a product campus and a world headquarters campus.
“As our campus transformation continues, we need transitional work space in close proximity to our campus,” says Dave Dubensky, chairman and CEO, Ford Land. “Masco’s headquarters building offers the needed space and amenities for our employees, and it’s in close proximity to our Dearborn campus.”
The four-story, 416,000-square-foot building has ample office and open collaboration workspace, an indoor courtyard, full-service café and 24-hour fitness center. Ford employee shuttle service will be expanded to include the new location, which is less than five miles from the Dearborn campus.