On September 11th, the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (TCIDA) Board of Directors met and approved the following items:
PILOT Amendment for Ithaca Beer Co.
A Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) amendment extended the original, seven year payment schedule to a ten year payment schedule that phases in the new property taxes associated with a 2014 expansion project. Taxes assessed on the value prior to the expansion continue to be paid in full. The request stemmed from a need to balance cash flow as a result of the unexpected need to install a wastewater pre-treatment system at the brewery at a cost of over $350,000 this year.
Ithaca Beer Co.’ s current PILOT was approved in 2014 for a 23,800 SF expansion project consisting of a new building to house the entire “packaging” operation, including a new bottling line, canning line, shipping and receiving, office space, lab, barrel aging room, and larger cooler. Noted benefits of the project were increased brewing and bottling capacity for wholesale distribution, the creation of 22 new jobs along with the attraction of visitors to the taproom resulting in overnight stays and indirect spending on food and beverages and resulting sales tax from such expenditures. For more information click HERE.
Sales Tax Abatement for Lansing Renewables Project
Lansing Renewables, LLC received a sales tax abatement for a 5 megawatt (MW) off-site community solar array located at 339 Jerry Smith Road in the Town of Lansing. The project in total will generate enough clean renewable energy to power approximately 1,000 homes. The project will cover approximately 24 acres of vacant land. Residents and businesses in the NYSEG load zone C, which includes Tompkins County, will be able to sign up for electricity at a 10% discount. For more information click HERE.
Taitem Engineering Presentation
Ian Shapiro, President of Taitem Engineering, gave a presentation to the TCIDA board detailing the history of the IDA’s green energy incentive policy developed by Taitem in 2016, an overview of projects that have significantly reduced energy usage as a result of the incentive, and proposed modifications to the incentive policy to align with the City and Town of Ithaca’s new green energy code. A subcommittee of the TCIDA will review and recommend policy changes to the full board later this year. For Taitem’s presentation slides click HERE.
