SOUTH BEND ? Plans for a proposed energy plant were discussed at Thursday?s St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission meeting.
The Green
Earth Energy plant, which county officials have said could become a near billion dollar investment in the county if constructed, would need a railroad spur and other infrastructure to meet plant demands, county engineer Jessica Clark said. The plant would be located in the Economic Development District No. 2 area, which is near I/N Tek and I/N Kote near New Carlisle.
Clark, who also serves as vice president of the commission, said county officials would consider the infrastructure possibilities in August or September, once studies have been completed.
The railroad spur would be for more than the energy plant only, according to Clark. It could be expanded, as long as a plan is in place, whenever a new business would need rail access. It would be between 1? miles and 1? miles long, according to a draft map.
These infrastructure studies come after a January 2013 agreement between the County Commissioners and the outside group, Development Partners Group LLC, out of New York.
TIF collection
The commission members also met Thursday to decide what funds, if any, they will remove from the three Tax Increment Finance districts in the county. A state law requires the commission to notify the state by July 15 of its decision.
The commission members voted to retain the funds, instead of spending them ? the same decision that they made last year, according to Philip Faccenda, special counsel to the Redevelopment Commission.
Clark gave a rundown of current projects and expenses for each of the three districts. The first district, which covers the AM General plant, has outstanding bond debt that the TIF funds are going to pay down, she explained.
The second district, the one surrounding I/N Tek and I/N Kote and the proposed energy plant, has the ongoing infrastructure studies, she said.
The third district, located near Wyatt, recently saw construction of a wind turbine. The TIF fund in that area is slow-growing, but will pay off the remaining $150,000 debt through collected funds, Clark said.
Faccenda also said that town officials from Lakeville are interested in exploring forms of economic development near the new route of U.S. 31 to encourage business growth.
The commission members are also looking at creating an additional TIF district on Indiana 933 between Auten Road and the state line.
?The goal is to try to create a new TIF area before new users move in to capture those funds,? Clark said.
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