Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enterprise Zone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harford County hears public hearing on three enterprise‑zone tax‑credit applications
Summary
County economic development staff presented three properties seeking enterprise‑zone tax credits — a 114,000‑sq‑ft redevelopment in Abingdon ($9.7M), a 168,000‑sq‑ft speculative building in Chesapeake Industrial Park (~$22M), and a vertical expansion at Ingredion Inc. ($9.45M). Council will vote Dec. 2.
Miss Holt, Harford County economic development, presented three properties seeking certification under the county's enterprise‑zone program during a public hearing.
“The enterprise zone provides real property and state income tax credit for businesses that are located in an enterprise zone,” Miss Holt said, explaining the program's focus on job creation and capital investment. She told the council the county intends to submit the applications to the State Department of Assessment and Taxation by Dec. 22 to affect spring 2026 assessments.
The first property, tied to the former Edgewood/Joppa enterprise zone, is Paca LLC at 1301 Governor Court, Abingdon. Miss Holt said the project is a roughly 114,000‑square‑foot redevelopment with about $9,700,000 in capital investment, located in Council District A and expected to create one to two new jobs.
The second project is in the Aberdeen/Havre de Grace enterprise zone: a speculative 168,000‑square‑foot building at 1621 Clark Road in the Chesapeake Industrial Park. Miss Holt described the project as nearly $22,000,000 in capital investment and said a market analysis anticipates roughly 30 new jobs if the space is occupied by likely tenants.
The third application is from Ingredion Inc., described as a vertical expansion of about 50,000 square feet (an estimated $9,450,000 investment) that Miss Holt said would add approximately 11 jobs and raise the site's manufacturing capacity. She noted the vertical build did not require a landscape plan under the county's typical submittal requirements.
Council members asked clarifying questions about tax‑credit mechanics and local impact. Miss Holt summarized how the 10‑year property‑tax credit phases from 80% in the first five years down to 30% in later years and emphasized that the credit applies to the increase in assessed value resulting from new investment, not the entire tax bill.
Jan Giordano urged the council to consider narrowing enterprise‑zone boundaries to focus on existing industrial areas rather than undeveloped greenfield land; Miss Holt said the land‑use subcommittee will review boundaries and that statute requires contiguous zone areas. She also confirmed the Edgewood/Joppa designation sunset in 2024 and noted a statutory provision allowing businesses that were operating inside a zone when it expired to claim credits for up to five years after expiration.
Miss Holt closed the presentation by noting the council will take a formal vote on the applications at its Dec. 2 meeting and reiterating the county's goal to meet SDAT's submission deadline for the 2026 assessment cycle.
