Bill could help Alexandria develop business park
Senate Bill 491, authored by Gaskill, R-Pendleton, would allow Alexandria to annex the property south of Poet Biorefining, even though it's not adjacent to the city limits.
'Alexandria came to me and asked for help,' Gaskill said. 'It would allow for a business park and the property would be identified and useful for the county.'
The bill was recommended for passage by the Senate Local Government Committee on Thursday.
Gaskill said it would apply only to Alexandria and not all of Madison County.
He said Alexandria is not interested in annexing residential property in the area. Gaskill said some property owners with farm ground could be interested in selling the ground.
Alan Moore, director of economic development for the city, said the site has hosted several visits for possible development.
'The marketplace is very competitive,' he said. 'We want to get the property zoned properly and allow us to attract a development.'
Moore said the site has all city utilities.
'We're confident,' he said. 'There is support at the Statehouse, and this would allow us to get the property rezoned.
'We will continue to market the site,' Moore added.
He said there have been no complaints concerning the proposal.
'Without zoning in place, it creates a challenge of being competitive,' Moore told Indiana Inside Business. 'So that's the obstacle that we're looking at.'
Moore said the business park could be expanded near the site in the future.
If the bill is passed and signed into law, Moore estimates that it could take about a year for the annexation to be completed.
'It's important for the community,' he said. 'Obviously, there's jobs. There's also tax revenue, which benefits the school system. The entire community benefits from having a strong industrial base.
"There are some smaller communities that have successfully brought in companies, so Alexandria is trying to do that in order to lift up the entire city and the entire community.'
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