5 tax abatements OK’d By Warsaw City Council
May 2, 2017 at 5:23 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Whimet Inc. originally estimated adding 15 additional jobs, but has added 18 new employees and invested $746,000 in real property improvements, City Planner Jeremy Skinner said. This is their seventh year of their abatement on real and personal property and he recommended it be approved.
Little Crow Lofts LLC requested two abatements – a 10-year tax abatement on real property for the improvements that are being made to the property, and a three-year abatement for its vacant building deduction under the state’s vacant building deduction guidelines.
“Typically under tax abatements, you are approving them for new additions or new money, not old money or an existing building. But because this building had been vacant for more than two years, it was applicable to apply for that vacant building (deduction) ... to get interest into that building. So for three years, they will have a tax abatement on the whole building,” Skinner explained.
This is the first year for the abatements for Little Crow and over $6.4 million will be spent on improving and converting the former manufacturing building into an apartment building.
“The applications you are approving now are for next year’s taxes, not this year’s taxes,” Skinner noted.
He recommended the council approve both of Little Crow’s abatements.
The tax abatements for Redwood IT LLC, 501 Argonne Road, are for real and personal property. They are still in the process of rehabbing the building on Argonne Road. It was granted a 10-year tax abatements for real and personal property in 2015. It is spending about $50,000 in IT equipment and $400,000 in building improvements. This is the second year for its tax abatement.
The last tax abatement was for Banner Medical Innovations Inc., 1295 Polk Drive. Skinner said they were granted a tax abatement for personal property in 2015 and it was the first building to go into the city’s Tech Park. It’s hired 20 employees since opening in mid 2016 and has spent over $2.3 million on personal property, he said. Over five years, Skinner said Banner plans to hire over 70 employees.
In other business, the council:
• Approved ordinance 2017-05-01 on first and second reading which modifies downtown parking in three areas near the intersection of Lake and Market streets.
The modifications include changing two-hour parking to unlimited parking on the north side of Market Street for a half block west of Lake Street; changing two-hour parking to unlimited parking on the west side of Lake Street for a half block north on Market Street; and changing unlimited parking to two-hour parking on the east side of Lake Street for a half block north of Market Street. The changes were sought by Forte Residential Inc. and the city’s traffic commission supported the request in April.
• Voted unanimously to give consensus to establish an underground and buried utility district. The Board of Public Works and Safety passed the resolution in an emergency meeting Friday.
“Essentially, the legislation gave us a very short window to act,” Thallemer said. “This is the micro cell tower placement in our community. We reacted with a resolution as provided for in the legislation. We did meet the deadline which was midnight last night.”
He said the city was made aware of the legislation last Tuesday. Over 100 communities in Indiana passed similar resolutions to get control over where the small cell towers are placed.
• Heard from Lyle Schrock about his business, The Lab, at 105 E. Center St.
Originally from New Paris, he moved his business from Syracuse to Warsaw “just because of traffic and demographics.” He does mobile phone and tablet repair and electronic repair. His email is [email protected] and website is thelabrepair.com.
• Heard Thallemer proclaim May 13 as Poppy Day for the American Legion Auxiliary.
• Heard the city received $354.57 from Mediacom for its franchise fee for the first quarter of 2017.
Whimet Inc. originally estimated adding 15 additional jobs, but has added 18 new employees and invested $746,000 in real property improvements, City Planner Jeremy Skinner said. This is their seventh year of their abatement on real and personal property and he recommended it be approved.
Little Crow Lofts LLC requested two abatements – a 10-year tax abatement on real property for the improvements that are being made to the property, and a three-year abatement for its vacant building deduction under the state’s vacant building deduction guidelines.
“Typically under tax abatements, you are approving them for new additions or new money, not old money or an existing building. But because this building had been vacant for more than two years, it was applicable to apply for that vacant building (deduction) ... to get interest into that building. So for three years, they will have a tax abatement on the whole building,” Skinner explained.
This is the first year for the abatements for Little Crow and over $6.4 million will be spent on improving and converting the former manufacturing building into an apartment building.
“The applications you are approving now are for next year’s taxes, not this year’s taxes,” Skinner noted.
He recommended the council approve both of Little Crow’s abatements.
The tax abatements for Redwood IT LLC, 501 Argonne Road, are for real and personal property. They are still in the process of rehabbing the building on Argonne Road. It was granted a 10-year tax abatements for real and personal property in 2015. It is spending about $50,000 in IT equipment and $400,000 in building improvements. This is the second year for its tax abatement.
The last tax abatement was for Banner Medical Innovations Inc., 1295 Polk Drive. Skinner said they were granted a tax abatement for personal property in 2015 and it was the first building to go into the city’s Tech Park. It’s hired 20 employees since opening in mid 2016 and has spent over $2.3 million on personal property, he said. Over five years, Skinner said Banner plans to hire over 70 employees.
In other business, the council:
• Approved ordinance 2017-05-01 on first and second reading which modifies downtown parking in three areas near the intersection of Lake and Market streets.
The modifications include changing two-hour parking to unlimited parking on the north side of Market Street for a half block west of Lake Street; changing two-hour parking to unlimited parking on the west side of Lake Street for a half block north on Market Street; and changing unlimited parking to two-hour parking on the east side of Lake Street for a half block north of Market Street. The changes were sought by Forte Residential Inc. and the city’s traffic commission supported the request in April.
• Voted unanimously to give consensus to establish an underground and buried utility district. The Board of Public Works and Safety passed the resolution in an emergency meeting Friday.
“Essentially, the legislation gave us a very short window to act,” Thallemer said. “This is the micro cell tower placement in our community. We reacted with a resolution as provided for in the legislation. We did meet the deadline which was midnight last night.”
He said the city was made aware of the legislation last Tuesday. Over 100 communities in Indiana passed similar resolutions to get control over where the small cell towers are placed.
• Heard from Lyle Schrock about his business, The Lab, at 105 E. Center St.
Originally from New Paris, he moved his business from Syracuse to Warsaw “just because of traffic and demographics.” He does mobile phone and tablet repair and electronic repair. His email is [email protected] and website is thelabrepair.com.
• Heard Thallemer proclaim May 13 as Poppy Day for the American Legion Auxiliary.
• Heard the city received $354.57 from Mediacom for its franchise fee for the first quarter of 2017.
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