ASHLAND – Akron Children’s Hospital, CrossFit 419 and Pioneer National Latex all plan to expand in Ashland and are seeking tax incentives to fuel that growth.
Ashland’s city council members will consider tax abatement agreements for all three companies at a meeting Tuesday. The council meets at 7 p.m. at Ashland City Schools’ central office building, 1407 Claremont Avenue.
In total, the three businesses are agreeing to invest $5.2 million in relocation or expansion projects and to create 11 to 12 additional full time jobs and 20 part-time positions.
In exchange, each company is asking for 50 percent tax abatements for 10 years.
Springfield Properties Group is planning to build a 7,000 square foot building for Akron Children’s Hospital on a 2.3 acre site at 1120 George Road, relocating the pediatric care facility from its current location at 2212 Mifflin Avenue, Suite 235, according to the agreement. Construction is expected to begin this year and complete by 2019.
The company is committing to retaining its 17 full and part-time employees and to add three new full-time positions — a physician, a registered nurse and a secretary. This would increase the current $1,144,500 annual payroll at the location by $270,000.
Primal Fitness plans to relocate CrossFit 419 from its current location at 715 Sherman Avenue to an approximately 2 acre site at 1151 Commerce Parkway. The company plans to invest $1,360,000 in the new 20,000 square foot building, which will include 8,000 square feet for CrossFit and 12,000 square feet for a 24-hour gym.
The company also promises to add two or three full-time positions as well as 20 part-time personal trainer or group trainer positions. The agreement does not include an estimated payroll amount for the new employees but states trainers can make anywhere from $20 to $35 per hour.
Construction is expected to begin this month and be complete by November.
Hillsdale Development group intends to construct a new 12,000 square foot warehouse for Pioneer National Latex as well as to install a new roof on an existing building the company owns. With the $500,000-$750,000 investment, the company plans to create six new full-time positions and retain its existing 111 full-time employees at 351 Union Street.
Pioneer National Latex is the world’s largest manufacturer of balloons and punch balls, making 2 million balloons and punch balls daily.
The expansion project is expected to increase the company’s $3.4 million annual payroll by about $200,000.
The requested 50-percent abatement for 10 years is only for the new investment ($500,000-$750,000), not for the entire property value.
Construction is expected to begin the month and be complete by fall.
