Jun 9, 2009 2 min read

FRANKLIN TWP. – Don Chappel, executive director of Greene County Industrial Developments Inc., urged Franklin Township supervisors Monday to vote to extend the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) for undeveloped property in Evergreene Technology Park. The extension would continue the current KOZ tax incentive for an additional seven years, until Dec. 31, 2017. The current KOZ incentive ends Dec. 31, 2010. “The KOZ is vitally important to economic development,” Chappel said.

Chappel added that the first thing a company asks when choosing a business location is, “What are your local incentives?”

He said extending the KOZ for an additional seven years serves as an incentive for companies debating on whether to move their business to Evergreene Technology Park.

The two existing buildings will not be eligible for the seven-year KOZ extension.

Of the two existing buildings located in the technology park, one will begin paying property taxes at the end of 2010. The second building is part of the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance program and will not begin paying property taxes until 2011 or 2012, Chappel said.

Evergreene Technology Park sells property for $55,000 an acre. Currently, about 220 acres are available for development.

The supervisors will decide whether or not to extend the KOZ at the June 22 meeting.

In addition to discussing the KOZ, the supervisors also approved a plan to extend sewer lines to about 22 homes in the township.

The 2008 and 2009 Community Development Block Grants provided about $240,000 in grant money for completing a sewer line extension on Sugar Run Road. The sewer line will stretch about 4,500 feet south of the intersection between Sugar Run Road and Hillside Lane.

Supervisors hope the construction will begin in August and expect the project to take 60 to 70 days to complete.

The second sewer line will extend 700 feet south of Orchard Road, on Route 19. It is expected to reach four or five homes. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the federal economic stimulus package, will fund the work. The township will receive $33,470 to complete the sewer line extension and plans to begin the bidding process as soon as the funding is received, said supervisors Chairman Reed Kiger.

Both projects are expected to be complete before the end of the year.

Supervisors also adopted a fair housing resolution, which states that if someone feels he or she is discriminated against by a landlord or a potential landlord, the person is asked to contact a township supervisor, Kiger said.