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Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Allen commissioners consider expanding proposed CRA
Feb. 21—LIMA — As Allen County commissioners continue to consider the potential creation of a Community Reinvestment Area in parts of American and Sugar Creek Townships, the conversation has shifted to expanding the proposed tax exemption area beyond its original footprint. On Feb. 14, commissioners met with representatives from the Allen County Auditor's Office, Allen Economic Development Group and the Allen County Prosecutor's Office to discuss the creation of a CRA encompassing nearly 400 acres in the vicinity of North Cole Street and North West Street north of Irvin Road. This area would be designated for tax exemptions for building renovation and construction that can help spur economic development. The CRA is in the vicinity of a proposed data center, one that has been discussed and debated at multiple American Township trustees meetings. On Thursday, commissioners met again with Allen Economic Development Group President and CEO Cynthia Leis and John Willamowski Jr. from the prosecutor's office to continue the discussion, during which it was decided to expand the size of the CRA to cover 887 total acres bordered by North West Street to the east and north as state Route 115, Bluelick Road to the south and North Cole Street to the west. According to Commissioner Brian Winegardner, the expansion comes down to being proactive in putting the area in the best position for any future development. "It's a tool that we can use for the future," he said. "Declaring a CRA doesn't really lock you into anything specific. But it's a tool we can use for later expansion and development if need be in the future." The goal, Winegardner said, was originally to have a resolution on the CRA to put to a vote by Feb. 27, but the law pertaining to CRAs required that any structures within the area be surveyed prior to a CRA being established. "That's a pretty tight timeline if they're shooting for next Thursday to have that done and on our agenda," he said. "If that doesn't happen, it would go to the following Thursday, which is March 6." Winegardner emphasized that any CRA would not place any special obligations on property owners within the area, and it would not have an impact on property valuation. "It's not changing what they can or can't do with their property," he said. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Potential American Township development incentive discussed
Feb. 14—LIMA — As part of ongoing efforts to make Allen County attractive for potential business investment, Allen County Commissioners met Friday with representatives from the Allen County Auditor's Office, Allen Economic Development Group and the Allen County Prosecutor's Office to discuss the creation of a Community Reinvestment Area in an unincorporated area of American and Sugar Creek Townships. According to the Ohio Department of Development, a CRA is an area designated for special tax exemptions for property owners who either renovate existing buildings or construct new ones, allowing such areas to serve as incentives for either revitalization or new development. The exemptions can reach up to 100 percent, but any exemptions beyond 75 percent would require consent from the local school district. The area designation can then be applied to properties in the selected area for up to 15 years. In this case, the CRA would cover just under 400 acres of land bordered by Bluelick Road to the south, North Cole Street to the west, midway between Cole and North West Street to the east and Irvin Road to the north, except for just over 40 acres of land north of Irvin Road in Sugar Creek Township. This area of land has been a topic of discussion in recent meetings in American Township concerning the possible construction of a new data center. According to Allen County Commissioner Cory Noonan, while multiple CRAs have been established throughout the city of Lima as well as in Spencerville and Delphos since the program's creation in 1977, this would be the first one created in an unincorporated area of the county, which means this is the first time the county commissioners have been involved in this program. "Economic development is one of the most important things that we do," he said. "We look at tools all the time to help our existing businesses and also to bring in new businesses into the county. So we spent some time discussing CRAs and their implementation, how they come into effect, specifically looking at an industrial area on the north side of town." Noonan emphasized that any potential creation of a CRA in this area does not guarantee instant development or even a specified tax incentive percentage for any new development. "[Potential developers] would have to come to the board of commissioners, and that would need to be adopted on a case-by-case basis," he said. Having a CRA designation for a portion of land is simply an added incentive for potential investors, telling them that there are greater economic advantages to choosing that site for development. Friday's meeting did not yield any final decision regarding the creation of a CRA with those in attendance agreeing that more discussion is necessary. A subsequent meeting on this topic has not yet been scheduled. Featured Local Savings
