The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency has agreed to provide tax incentives to a Town of Wheatfield dentistry office, despite concerns raised by some of the agency’s board members.
In a 6-2 vote last week, members of the IDA’s board agreed to enter into a 10-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Wheatfield Family Dentistry, a provider of family dental care that is looking to build a new office at 3349 Niagara Falls Blvd. in Wheatfield. The nine-member board was short one person as member the Rev. Kevin Dobbs did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.
Board members Rob Connolly, business agent for Laborers Local 91, and Michael Tucker, mayor of the City of Lockport, voted against accepting the application for agency assistance.
Connolly expressed reservations about such projects, suggesting they do not offer enough return on the agency’s investment. Connolly said he worried that they also could set a bad precedent, prompting dentists, lawyers, doctors and other professionals to seek tax incentives from the agency for simple office moves.
“I don’t know if we should set our parameters on doing things like this,” Connolly said.
Wheatfield Family Dentistry has been located in rental space at 3571 Niagara Falls Blvd. in North Tonawanda since its inception in 1994. The company sought agency support as it proceeds with plans to build a new 2,500-square-foot dental office at its new location, also on the Boulevard. The project also calls for the construction of a 1,500-square-feet office that will be leased to another tenant. The $690,500 project is expected to allow the company to expand its staff from five full-time to eight full-time workers within two years. IDA officials estimate the annual taxes paid on the raw land at $6,575 and said the dental office will pay estimated annual taxes totaling $22,642 at the completion of the PILOT.
The IDA’s Executive Director Sam Ferraro received a letter in support of the project from new Wheatfield Supervisor Robert Cliffe who said it would add “high quality positions” and replace a decaying property on the boulevard with a “high quality enterprise.”
IDA board members who voted in favor of the arrangement felt the same way and commended Wheatfield Family Dentistry owner Dr. Kathleen Casacci for investing money in a property that has been dilapidated for many years.
“They are taking a piece of property a lot of people wouldn’t touch,” said Board member Stephen Brady.
Board member Deanna Brennan said the agency should be supportive of any business that is looking to make efficient use of its resources and space.
“I think that’s a good business model,” she said.
Contact reporter Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250
Business
January 18, 2010
NIAGARA COUNTY: Wheatfield dental office offered tax break by IDA
- Business
-
-
Police probe scrap copper theft
Security camera offers a few clues to the crime.
-
ANTIQUES: Treasure hunting is worth wait in NT
Experts at the Treasure Hunters Roadshow have seen an average of 200 visitors and thousands of treasures per day since the exhibit kickoff on Tuesday,
- WHEATFIELD: IDA to consider tax deal for dentist office Two Erie County-based dentists are seeking a payment-In-lieu-of-taxes plan with Niagara County Industrial Development Agency to open an office in Wheatfield.
- BUSINESS: Group plans summit to discuss economic development Local and regional government officials are coordinating a Niagara County Economic Summit to inform the public about business opportunities in the county.
-
TOWN OF TONAWANDA: New GM engine line slated for 2012
Idled machines on one side and bustling activity on the other served as a stark reminder to crowds assembled at the General Motors Powertrain plant Thursday, sitting on the dividing line between productive industry and layoffs.
-
GAS PRICES: Some stations' deceiving signs anger motorists
One high-priced filling station in North Tonawanda has a new weapon to confuse money-conscious customers who might otherwise debate and switch — the bait and switch.
- NIAGARA COUNTY: Wheatfield dental office offered tax break by IDA The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency has agreed to provide tax incentives to a Town of Wheatfield dentistry office, despite concerns raised by some of the agency’s board members.
- TOWN OF TONAWANDA: Business park inks deal for the future Owners of the Town’s Riverview Commerce Park signed a memorandum of understanding Monday with a Chinese sustainable technology coalition, a move hailed as the first step in reinventing the area’s former industrial role.
-
TAXES: With filing season here, some things have changed
January usually means three things: A new year, the holidays are over and the tax season is beginning.
-
BUSINESS: Local invention really taking off
Climbing the ladder to success didn’t happen overnight for North Tonawanda businessman Robert Palka, but sales of his patented exercise machine “Jacobs Ladder” are definitely reaching new heights.
- More Business Headlines
-
Police probe scrap copper theft
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
