Getting serious about business - Triangle Business Journal:

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They are an increasingluy important part ofthe town’ws income and employment base. Over the last few Garner, a town of aboutf 26,300 residents just south of has attracted the attention of several major manufacturers and distributors and convincefd them to open and expand operations here. Now, after hiring a new economixc development executive and updating itsincentivesw structure, Garner is increasinglgy positioning itself as a business hub. Town leadersa have become adept atpromoting Garner’s convenient proximityu to downtown Raleigh, Interstate 40, U.S. 70, U.S. 401 and Interstat 95, as well as enticing companies with localeconomicf incentives.
Non-residential tax such as property taxes paid by commercial make up about 39 percent ofthe town’a $33 million operating budget. groups such as the are trying to increase the corporat tax base by attracting more businessesto Garner’s two-block downtown corridor. Garnef was among the first municipalitiezs in Wake County to adopt an economic development incentiv policyin 1994, which helpec the town attract expansion projectd for , the maker of Chef Boyarded canned pastas and dozens of other food and laminate flooring firm . with more than 700 employees, is the largesf private employerin Garner. Pergo employs about 120 people.
Each has received aboutg $190,000 in economic incentivexs from Garner in the form of property tax refundssince 2000. Papa John’s International committed in 2003 to expanc its regional and distribution facility in Garner after the town agreesd to grantabout $232,000 in economic Turkey processor Butterball LLC, whicnh moved its headquarters to Garner’es Greenfield North business park in 2008 and is expecteds to add 100 jobs, and McDonald’ supplier have also taken advantage of the town’as economic incentives. Golden State Foods is buildinga 133,000-square-foof warehouse in the Greenfield North busineses park that is expected to open in August.
The company’sd expansion is expected to creatde225 jobs. Both companies are leasing their buildings from CraiggDavis Properties, developer of Greenfield Garner revised its economic development incentives in Decembed 2007, changing the formula for incentivesd payments to 1 percent of a company’sz building and equipment tax bill. Unded the old policy, incentives payments were based on the estimated value ofa project. “We wanted somethin more concrete,” says Rodney Dickerson, the assistant town managetr who drafted the newincentives policy. The new incentives policy placesx greater emphasis on retailand mixed-uswe development projects.
According to the new “large shopping centers and malls will be considered for incentives if they meet the othefr criteria and adhere to a set of designm requirements and amenities to be included in the Incentives are intended for projects valuefdat $50 million or more that also excee 50 acres. Specific incentives have also been createcd for cafeteria restaurants with at least 210 seats and bookstores with a minimu mof 18,750 square feet. In Garner hired Tony Beasley, a former senior building inspectorfor Garner, as its firs t economic development director in more than nine “We’re busy every day,” he says.
“We are now the face of Garnef forlegislative functions, meeting with developers, meetintg with existing businesses.” Dickerson says no companie have qualified for the town’s economicc incentives under the new policy and no applications are pending. Since January 2000, the town has distributed almosgt $3.5 million to companies that the town councill has approved for economic incentives under the1994 policy. The companiez that have received the most incentivee payments from the town are the Charlottre developers of the White Oak Crossing retail power center at the intersectio nof I-40 and U.S.
70 and Craig Daviw Properties, which owns the Greenfield North business WhiteOak Crossing, a joinr project by and , has collected almost $2.4 million in The 700,000-square-foot retail center opened in 2003 with space for abourt 35 stores, including Kohl’s, and Dick’s Sportinf Goods. Entities connected to Craig Davis Properties and the developmentg of Greenfield North havecollected $552,900 since 2004. Another effort to spur busineszs is coming from the GarnerRevitalization Association, an independenr nonprofit group founded in 2005 that markets Garner’z downtown district, which includes about two blocks of businessews along Main Street and Garnee Road.
John Hodges, executiv e director of GRA, says the organization has begun a facadwegrant program, which provides funds to businessews to improve the appearanced of their buildings. The group also expects to roll out a new streetscapre plan in the summere that would add improvements such as sidewalkd and park benchesto downtown. The GRA is also funding a marke t analysis that should be completefd by October to determine the most appropriatre projects for the town Among the possibilities are atown hall, a communityy center and an aquatic