Kings Hawaiian plant developers to seek tax break Tuesday

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.

Developers of a gigantic bakery in the northwestern corner of Bartholomew County, will be asking the County Council for a tax break on their project tonight.

Called “Project Whiteboard” in its planning documents, the Kings Hawaiian plant would be built just north of the the intersection of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65 on an 88-acre parcel. In documents filed with the county, the developers, R&T Woodside, outlined their initial plans to build up to a 400,000 square foot facility with an investment of $80 to $90 million dollars.

They said that when fully built out it would be more than half a million square feet, an estimated $180 million investment and is expected to employ more than 140 people. The average wages at the plant are expected to be almost $30 an hour.

Representatives asked the Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday morning to sign off on the project, by approving a resolution asserting that the project would fall within the economic revitalization area in the Edinburgh and Taylorsville areas. Before the developers of a project seeking a tax abatement can take their project to the county council for approval, they must receive that designation.

Commissioners voted to approve the request.

That will open the door to the developers seeking a tax abatement tonight. Under a tax abatement taxes are phased in over a period, normally of 10 years, instead of being immediately liable for the full amount.

Commissioners said that they fully support the project. Commissioners President Tony London said that the developers would also be asking for infrastructure help from the county, by using money from the special taxing unit in that area to extend County Road 700N as an access road to the property. London said that the road has been platted for years, but has never been built.

There is no estimate yet on how much that work might cost.

Last week the developers received several approvals they needed from the county’s board of zoning appeals.

The Bartholomew County Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight at the Governmental Office Building on Third Street in Columbus.