MINNESOTA (From news reports) -- A Nashville-based provider of wood building products is proposing a $157 million manufacturing plant in North Branch, a project that could advance with help from the state's Minnesota Forward Fund program.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. wants to build the 250,000- to 350,000-square-foot facility on a five-parcel, 120-acre site in the northeast portion of North Branch's Interstate Business Park, which is at the southwest corner of 410th Street and Forest Boulevard.

The project is a candidate for up to $10 million in funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's Minnesota Forward Fund, which provides grants and loans to businesses making "large private capital investments in new and existing industries."

The funding "may be forgiven if certain project goals are met," DEED said in a public notice. Among other things, the fund "supports projects that create and retain high-quality jobs across the state."

A public hearing related to Louisiana-Pacific's Minnesota Forward Fund application is scheduled for Feb. 25 in St. Paul.

Louisiana-Pacific, which has an existing facility in Two Harbors, expects to create 100 jobs within five years at the new North Branch location. The jobs would offer an average cash wage of $32.75 per hour.

"We're extremely excited for the opportunity," Nate Sondrol, North Branch's community development director, said in an interview Monday. "It's going to bring real jobs and investment to the community."

DEED said in a public notice that the North Branch location would be the new "flagship site" for Louisiana-Pacific, which manufactures "high-performance engineered wood building products" worldwide.

Trucks and rail cars would deliver "unpainted OSB-based siding board units to the site," Louisiana-Pacific said in a project narrative. "... This facility will paint panel boards, lap siding boards, trim boards, shake, and corners."

Louisiana-Pacific looked at multiple sites for the proposed facility. The "site readiness and rail availability were key factors" in the selection of the North Branch location, Sondrol noted.

"It's a great site. It's prime for development," Sondrol said, adding that North Branch is a growing community with a strong workforce.

From an entitlement standpoint, the city is working on the platting process to create the lots, Sondrol said. In addition, the city will hold public hearings in February and March related to a tax increment financing request and a development agreement.

The project also requires a conditional use permit for outdoor storage.

Construction could begin in 2027 or perhaps late 2026, Sondrol said.

In December, the North Branch Economic Development Authority agreed to sell the development site to Louisiana-Pacific Corp. for $5.2 million.

The land deal helps the city extend the streets and utilities in the industrial park, which will open up another 70 acres for development, Sondrol said.

"It's not just great for this. It's going to provide a lot of other opportunity," he added.

At the new facility, Louisiana-Pacific would manufacture pre-finished siding products, including the company's "Smartside" and "ExpertFinish" siding, Sondrol said at the North Branch EDA meeting in December.

"They're very durable, long-term products that they would be developing there. They would basically be trucked in, and then they would ... take the product, complete it, and then they would ship it back out," Sondrol said.

Jessica Thelander, a North Branch EDA commissioner, said in December that the project aligns with other initiatives in North Branch, including construction of a new union training center.

"I feel like North Branch is already a destination that people are coming to, and this is just enhancing it even more," she said.