CDC lauds businesses, tax impact
PENN TWP — After 10 years of tax abatement, the businesses at Victory Road Business Park have returned to the tax rolls.
The Community Development Corporation of Butler County, which oversaw the development of the former USX sintering plant property in Clinton Township, celebrated the business park's success Friday during its annual breakfast at the Butler Country Club.
Ken Raybuck, CDC executive director, told the audience of about 200 CDC members and guests that when Victory Road became a tax-free Keystone Opportunity Zone, the brownfield site paid $62,000 in taxes.
“As of Dec. 31, the 350 acres generate more than $825,000 in property taxes,” Raybuck said.
A Keystone Opportunity Zone allows property owners to go 10 years without paying municipality, school district and county property taxes as an incentive to businesses.
Diane Sheets, CDC manager of business development, who was the assistant executive director and the executive director during the past 10 years, said for every $1 of public money invested in the Victory Road Business Park, the return has been $20 in private investment.
“Overall, there has been more than $80 million investment in Victory Road,” she said.
Victory Road is home to these businesses: Aldi Inc. Pennsylvania, Brayman Construction, BeamOne, Cassidy Pierce, Castcon-Stone Inc., Cygnus Manufacturing Co., Diesel Injection of Pittsburgh, Gaven Industries Inc., Ibis Tek, Kay Berry, Kingsley Compression Inc., MEDRAD, Productivity Products and Services Inc., Ross Bulk Products and R.A.M. Transit Lines.
In 1956, USX picked the property 3 miles south of Saxonburg for the site of its new sintering plant, that opened in 1958. In 1986, the company closed the plant.In 1996, the CDC began talks with USX to buy the property for a business park. The sale was completed in 1998. That year, the CDC received about $3 million in state and federal money for the development of the park's infrastructure.All but 40 acres of the business park has been sold. That unsold land remains under the KOZ tax development agreement.CDC board membersAt the meeting, CDC membership approved board members whose terms end in 2014.They are: Jerry Andree, Cranberry Township; Ken DeFurio, Butler Health System; Margaret Irvine Weir, NexTier Bank; Robert Jones, Peoples Natural Gas; William McCarrier, retired; John McCarrier, individual; Robert Smith, Slippery Rock University; Robert Thomas, Butler Labor Council; and Andrew Watcher, T.W. Phillips Gas & Oil.Nadine Tripodi of Butler Technologies and Jack Cohen, executive director of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, were elected to fulfill board vacancies with terms expiring 2013.William Darney was elected an emeritus director.
