Photo Credit: {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnholzer/4692571312/sizes/z/in/photostream/"}John Holzer on Flickr (via Creative Commons){/a}
(Hendersonville, NC) – The Henderson County Board of Commissioners will weigh a proposal to grant incentives to an unnamed manufacturing company next week. “Project 300” is the same name recently used to hide the identity of Amazon before a similar public hearing held just south of Henderson County involving that company. Amazon’s identity was revealed during that hearing and the council voted to approve the incentives days later (which happened to be earlier today).
Who is Project 300 in this case? Both New Belgium and Sierra Nevada Brewing have been hotly rumored to be looking at the area for their second location; we should know more come Monday night.
“Project 300 Company” is a manufacturing concern currently located outside Henderson County contemplating locating an additional facility in Henderson County. It has requested to remain anonymous at this time due to competitive pressures.
Under the project as proposed, the public benefit to be derived from the capital project is a total taxable capital investment by Project 300 Company of at least $45,000,000.00 in real estate improvements, and at least $70,000,000.00 in business personal property (equipment).
The project would result in the creation of not fewer than one hundred twenty-five (125) new jobs, at an average wage in excess of the County’s average manufacturing wage for full-time employment, plus other benefits. The contemplated incentives would be to assist the Company with some or all of land acquisition, site development and preparation, water, sewerage, and construction. The incentives, in a total maximum amount of $3,750,000.00, would be accounted for over a period of seven years, based on the size and scope of the new investment, the number of new employees, and the Board’s incentives guidelines.
H/T to Jeff Fobes.
Oh my god please be one of them!
Ah, crony capitalism in the craft beer world. Not that it is remotely a first, but one has to wonder, if there is money for a company to put $45MM into real estate and $70MM into equipment, why is $3.75MM needed in incentives?