CLEARFIELD – On Tuesday the Clearfield County Commissioners were asked to consider two resolutions to help get property in the Clearfield Firemen’s Commerce Park enrolled in the Keystone Opportunity Zone program.
According to Tom Stojek, executive director of the Clearfield Foundation, his group wishes to re-enroll all unoccupied land at the Firemen’s Commerce Park into the new KOZ program. Stojek also asked that the lower southern parcel, owned by the Clearfield County Fair Board, be included in the new KOZ as well. Stojek indicated that the Clearfield Foundation has an option to purchase that land and would like to incorporate it into their plans.
“We believe the new KOZ program is a valuable tool for leveraging private investment and for creating new jobs for north central Pennsylvania,” said Stojek.
Businesses and industries that build or move into KOZ’s can garner reduced taxes at both that state and local level. Stojek said that tax exemptions only occur when a property is occupied or developed. That means that the Clearfield Foundation would pay property taxes on unoccupied parcels during the KOZ designation until those parcels are occupied.
Currently the only business included in the current KOZ designation at the Commerce Park is Lowes. Their KOZ tax incentive will permanently expire on Dec. 31, 2010.
Stojek gave the commissioners a rundown of the foundation’s activities and plans for the Firemen’s Commerce Park. He said there are now pad-ready sites on the north parcel, complete with infrastructure and roadways. The north parcel is mostly zoned commercial highway. Also located on the north parcel is a 20,000 square-foot industrial building that is zoned industrial.
“It’s a spectacular site now,” said Stojek of the north parcel. “I’m hopeful in the next five years we’ll be able to build out the north parcel.”
“All you have to do is compare it to what it was before,” commented County Solicitor Kim Kesner. “What has been done is amazing.”
The south parcel, which is owned by the Foundation, is zoned industrial. In 2006 the Clearfield Foundation extended rail siding further into the south parcel to give businesses the option of rail shipping. That rail siding expansion was made possible by the Clearfield County Commissioners in 2005, when they conveyed the counties portion of rail siding to the Clearfield Foundation.
Stojek noted that much more excavation and site development remains because the south parcel is a former deep mine site.
Stojek said the Clearfield Foundation has applied for $5 million in federal stimulus funds so they can excavate and remove the remaining 1 million cubic yards of acid mine spoil from the south parcel.
According to Stojek, all of the acid mine spoilage would then be placed onto the lower south parcel, compacted in eight inch lifts with heavy doses of lime, as per DEP’s requirements.
“KOZ is a tool that a professional can use to help market this,” said Commissioner Mark McCracken. “This is something we can do from the county commissioners’ office. It’s going to get more competitive to bring businesses in. We want their development in Clearfield County.”
Stojek recently visited the Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors and was paying a visit to the Lawrence Township Supervisors on Tuesday. The Clearfield Foundation needs the support of those entities as well as the county before they can move forward with the KOZ application.
The commissioners will consider the request and revisit it at a later meeting.