Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council unanimously approves $16M Project Explorer incentive and downtown facade grants
Summary
The Gastonia City Council voted unanimously April 21 to offer a Level‑1 investment grant tied to a $16 million equipment investment by an existing local industry (Project Explorer) and to approve a $20,000 facade and $1,500 architecture grant for 125 East Main Ave (Piedmont Delicatessen). Company job projections were not disclosed; council discussed the five‑year rebate schedule and that the facade work began before the current application was finalized.
The Gastonia City Council voted unanimously on April 21 to offer two separate economic incentives: a Level‑1 investment grant for an existing local industry identified in council documents as "Project Explorer," and a facade/architecture grant for a downtown building at 125 East Main Avenue.
Christy Crisp, the city's director of economic development, told council the Project Explorer submission represents a $16,000,000 investment in machinery and equipment by an existing Gastonia employer and that the company did not provide job‑creation figures. "This is a $16,000,000 investment," Crisp said, and staff recommended offering the standard Level‑1 incentive, which is structured as a tax‑rebate paid over five years once taxes are billed and verified by the Gaston County Tax Office.
Council members asked process questions about timing, verification and how the grant is paid. Crisp explained the grant operates as a reimbursement of taxes paid: the company makes the investment, pays taxes, and is reimbursed according to a tiered schedule that phases down the city's rebate share over five years; staff said similar requests had been approved at the county level and that the company preferred to remain anonymous in public materials.
Separately, council considered a facade and architecture grant for 125 East Main Avenue (Piedmont Delicatessen). Economic project manager Ben Bogle and the applicant, Derek Jacobs (who said he is known locally as "Flytie"), presented the restoration plan and community benefits. Bogle said the facade grant total eligible was $51,000, and the council approved a $20,000 facade grant and a $1,500 architecture grant. Council discussed that some exterior work had already begun based on an older application form and that staff had reviewed the file and determined an exception was reasonable in this case.
Both actions were adopted by unanimous vote; council directed legal staff and economic development staff to finalize grant agreements and negotiation details for the Project Explorer incentive and to confirm administration of the facade grant consistent with program rules. The meeting transcript records the motions and unanimous roll calls but does not list individual yes/no votes by name in the public record excerpt.
