By Terrence Jefferies
terrence.jefferies@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — County commissioners on Monday will consider tax incentive agreements for an unnamed business expansion and the Empire Hotel redevelopment.

The first item is for a so-called “Project Special,” which Rowan Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been working to win. During the April 15 county commissioners board meeting, the board approved a Level 1 incentive grant for the project.

Under the incentive policy, the company would receive a grant equal to 75% of the new taxes paid from the project over a five-year period. Since the grant has been approved, project specifications have changed. The project originally proposed the creation of 35 new jobs and an $18 million capital investment.

After a revision, the project now proposes the creation of 30 new jobs with a $11.75 million capital investment.

During the five-year period in the revised agreement, the county would collect $333,680 in tax revenue generated by the project and provide incentive grants totaling $250,261. The county would retain $83,419 of tax revenue during the incentive term.

The Rowan EDC on Monday will also present a summary of the proposed Empire Hotel Project in Rowan County.

The two-year construction phase for the project by Black Point Investments (BPI), which is a Charlotte-based company, will redevelop the Empire Hotel property into apartments and commercial space.

The proposal from BPI would have the 104,000-square-foot building on a 1.39-acre site redeveloped for 62 market-rate apartments and six small retail spaces along the front of South Main Street.

The project will also increase the real property tax value of the building site from nearly $1 million to $13 million after renovations are complete, according to the Rowan EDC.

“Approximately 75 direct jobs are projected for the new business establishments,” the incentive request summary states. “The impact of those jobs combined with the induced effect from the new residents’ spending is expected to generate 101.9 total jobs and annual labor income of $2.5 million.”

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the County Administration Building — 130 West Innes St.

In other business:

• Francisco Ortiz is requesting a rezoning of his 8.35-acre parcel in the 1000 block of Chuck Taylor Lane from a special economic development designation to commercial, business, industrial.
• James LaPann of Faulk & Foster has submitted a conditional use permit application on behalf of Verizon Wireless to accommodate a 195-foot, monopole wireless support structure with a four-foot lightning rod at the corner of St. Peters Church Road and Hill Road in eastern Rowan.
• Bids for construction of the West Branch Library project were opened on Thursday and will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for approval.
• Cypress Creek Renewables, doing business as Saw Solar LLC, proposes to develop a 6.9 megawatt, ground-mounted solar energy farm on about 50 acres of a collective 151-acre property owned by the Oscho Deal and Martha Deal Revocable Trusts.

Items on the consent agenda include:

• A Library Card Sign-up Month proclamation
• An airport conference room fee schedule.
• Waiving term limits for fire commissioner of the Enochville Volunteer Fire Department.
• Scheduling public hearing for land use text amendments in Rowan County for Sept. 3.
• Purchasing a landfill compactor for environmental management at a cost of $558,760, excluding taxes.