EVANSVILLE - Four local businesses promising economic development projects are on their way to receiving property tax phase-ins, thanks to a series of Evansville City Council votes Monday.
One of those companies is HK Partners LLC, which wants a tax break for Washington Square Mall. Schnucks Markets had previously announced plans to close its aging Washington Avenue store and build a new one on the south end of Washington Square Mall, on South Green River Road.
That project, however, must have a local economic incentive to go forward, Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville Director Debbie Dewey told the City Council.
Dewey said the new Schnucks will be about 70,000 feet, larger than the current one, and would have more employees. Owners of Washington Square also plan exterior and interior upgrades in the mall’s remaining structure.
Employment in the mall would go from 380 full-time employees making an average $12.50 per hour to 540 full-time employees making an average $14.50 an hour when the projects are completed, Dewey said.
Gene Hahn, with HK Partners, said he’s optimistic a new tenant will be found for the existing Schnucks property, and the incentive will revitalize a South Green River Road corridor that’s seen numerous retail closures in recent years.
A seven-year tax phase-in for HK Partners passed City Council in a 7-2 decision, with Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley, D-3rd Ward, and Al Lindsey, D-6th Ward, voting no.
Other tax phase-ins approved Monday were for Tri-State Orthopaedic Surgeons (10 years), Traylor Brothers (5 years) and Sugar Steel (5 years).
Tri-State Orthopaedics’ planned expansion on Evansville’s East Side would bring about 55 new jobs within five years. Traylor Brothers, a national engineering firm on Congress Avenue, is planning a renovation of outdated facilities that company officials say will enable them to retain current employees and create future growth opportunities.
Sugar Steel’s tax abatement is for the relocation and installation of manufacturing equipment at a new location on U.S. 41. The company is moving there from Claremont Avenue.