$32 million distribution center near GM plant to create 200 jobs
News Coverage:
June 13, 2016
$32 million distribution center near GM plant to create 200 jobs
A proposed $32 million, 791,000-square-foot distribution center near the General Motors plant would create 200 jobs with an average salary of $30,000, according to an application for tax incentives filed with the Allen County Department of Planning Services.
NorthPoint Development of Kansas City, Mo., bought 40 acres in the county-owned Stonebridge Business Park at Lafayette Center Road and Fogwell Parkway two years ago, and the Allen County Redevelopment Commission is expected to approve the sale of another 41.7 acres Tuesday. Northpoint paid $2.08 million for the initial 40 acres and had an option to purchase up to 84 additional acres at a specified price.
Stonebridge is to the south of the sprawling GM truck plant, which means approval for the project should avoid the problems Michigan-based Crown Enterprises encountered when it tried to build a similar facility north of the plant last year. Although the countys Plan Commission approved the 776,000-square-foot logistics facility, the County Commissioners overturned that decision after nearby residents mounted fierce opposition based on a long-range development plan adopted by the county in the mid-1980s they argued limited industrial projects to the south and west of the GM plant.
County officials announced in April they will review and update that plan to reflect changes that have occured in the area over the past 30 years.
Richard Beck, president of the Redevelopment Commission, said he could not discuss details of the project or disclose the identity of the tenant. Company officials were unavailable for comment, but NorthPoint President Chad Meyer said in 2014 the company's plans for the Stonebridge site would "help realize a global initiative by the automotive industry to make the supply chain more efficient and reliable while taking hundreds of trucks off the road and saving millions in logistics costs."
Allen County Council is scheduled to consider NorthPoint's application for an abatement this week, which if approved would save the company about $2.85 million in property taxes over 10 years. The plant's total payroll would be about $6 million, and the facility is designed to accommodate a 230,000-square-foot expansion.
Construction could begin in July, with completion in May 2017.'
