Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will relocate its Moraine, Ohio-based distribution operation to a more than 808,000-square-foot facility at the Franklin Tech Park off of I-65, according to a news release from the city of Franklin.
The facility will be one of largest LEED-certified buildings in the state.? LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a nationally-accepted benchmark for the construction of green buildings, according to the United States Green Building Council.??
Cooper and its Dallas-based site development partner, Corporate Capital and Development, are investing more than $30 million in the facility, which is expected to open in late 2009 and employ 60 people by 2011, according to the release.??
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Cooper up to $312,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $47,500 in training grants on the company’s job creation plans, the release stated. The state also will provide the city of Franklin with a grant of up to $110,000 to offset the cost of infrastructure improvements required at the new facility, according to the release.??
In addition, Cooper and CCD have requested the city of Franklin offer property tax abatements, $275,000 in tax increment financing for architectural enhancement, assistance in meeting LEED requirements and improvements to road infrastructure, according to the release.
"The city of Franklin is working hard to bring quality companies and jobs to the community," Franklin Mayor Fred Paris said in the release. "When we were approached by Cooper Tire about the potential of this facility being built to LEED standards, we offered a fast track process to get the deal tied down." (Tire Review/Akron)
