Henry County’s first community improvement district will be in Locust Grove. The city council approved an agreement for the Locust Grove North CID at their July meeting.
Community improvement districts allow private business owners to invest in local infrastructure. In the case of Locust Grove North, the property owner will be accessing themselves up to 22 mills in additional property tax. The funds will pay for a road improvement project.
Locust Grove North CID
The Locust Grove North CID will be located on Price Drive west of I-75. The area includes the Cubes at Locust Grove development. The Cubes will have six buildings when complete.
To make the project happen, the developer must re-align and improve Price Drive. Presently, the dirt road runs parallel to I-75. It connects Bill Gardner Parkway and Bethlehem Road. The road improvement project will accomplish two tasks:
- relocate Price Drive away from I-75, to avoid right of way impacts with the future Bethlehem Road exit, and
- improve Price Drive to an industrial standard so to support truck and vehicle traffic.
The cost of the road improvement has been estimated north of $10 million dollars. The new community improvement district will assist with this cost. The CID can bond or borrow funds to finance its construction. The property owner will then levy on themselves a higher property tax to pay back the funds. The bond repayment will be over a 20-year period.
When the new road is complete, the developer has agreed to give it as a public roadway to Locust Grove. This will allow all motorists to use it. In exchange, the city will abandon the current right of way on Price Drive. This would happen regardless since the current dirt road will no longer be used.
Andersen Windows
The new roadway will provide access to Andersen Windows’ new manufacturing facility. The company announced in January their new facility. Its located within the Cubes. They will be investing $420 million dollars — the largest corporate investment in Henry County history. The project will also create 900 new jobs.
Construction will begin this year on their facility. Operations plan to start in 2025.
After Andersen, four buildings will remain available for future tenants.
CID Next Steps
On Monday, July 3, the Locust Grove council approved two documents for the new CID. They were a letter of intent and intergovernmental agreement. Other parties to the agreement include the Henry County Development Authority and the property owner.
To finalize the creation of a community improvement district, the tax commissioner must certify the district. In addition, property owners within the district must elect the inaugural board members. These steps will take place during the next two to three months. After which time, the first community improvement district in Henry County will be established.
Featured image shows an area map with the Cubes at Locust Grove. Colliers International photo.
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