The newly independent SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering plans to establish a solar power manufacturing and technology development hub in the Town of Greece. The new Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility will be located in a 57,000-square-foot former Kodak building at 115 Canal Landing Boulevard. The building contains a clean room, which will be […]
economic development
Posted inNews & Opinion
COMIDA to vote on Xerox incentives next week
Next week, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency will hold two additional hearings on Xerox’s application for property and sales tax incentives on a potential expansion project at the company’s toner plant in Webster. And at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 25, COMIDA will meet to vote on the proposal (the location is forthcoming and […]
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Officials tout Eastman Business Park agreement
Kodak’s bankruptcy filing generated a lot of questions, and some legitimate worries about the future of the Eastman Business Park on West Ridge Road. But some answers are starting to emerge, leaving state and local government and elected officials, as well as business park tenants, more confident in the facility’s future. Some of those answers […]
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Kodak power plant buyer getting state assistance
The board of the state’s economic development arm has approved $7.2 million in incentives for Recycled Energy Development to put toward purchasing and upgrading the Eastman Business Park utilities system. The incentives, approved yesterday, include a $3.6 million grant and a $3.5 million loan, according to a press release from Empire State Development. The grant […]
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Kodak power plant deal could get OK
Kodak’s proposal to sell the Eastman Business Park’s utilities system could soon move forward.
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Senate veers from Cuomo’s proposed IDA reforms
When Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a series of reforms for the state’s industrial development agencies, IDA representatives and local elected officials protested. The governor essentially wanted to restrict the agencies’ ability to grant exemptions on state sales tax, but local officials said that would rob them of a useful economic development incentive. Well, perhaps predictably, […]
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COMIDA approves I-Square benefits
During its meeting this afternoon, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency approved tax exemptions for Irondequoit’s I-Square project and for the potential new owners of the Monroe County Sports Centre. COMIDA approved a “custom abatement package” for the $9.9 million I-Square mixed use project, according to a press release from County Executive Maggie Brooks’ office. […]
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State releases IDA data
The state Authorities Budget Office says that between 2008 and 2011, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency awarded approximately $114 million in tax exemptions to businesses. The exemptions covered county property taxes, local sales tax, state sales tax, and mortgage recording taxes. But COMIDA’s total isn’t particularly high when compared to other Upstate metro IDA’s. […]
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Cuomo vs. the IDA’s
Virtually every industrial development agency in New York has come out against Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to restrict their ability to offer state sales tax exemptions to businesses. The Monroe County Industrial Development Agency is part of the opposition. “We’ve been doing it since 1969 and it’s been effective,” says COMIDA executive director Judy Seil. […]
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City gets land bank approval
The City of Rochester has received state approval to form a land bank. Earlier this month, city officials submitted an application to Empire State Development, seeking to form the nonprofit Rochester Land Bank Corporation. The land bank will acquire vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties in the city and then turn them over to the Greater […]
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Irondequoit Tops getting tax breaks, too
Last month, I wrote about a Henrietta Tops store that received tax breaks to move from one plaza on Jefferson Road to another. Now a similar scenario is happening in Irondequoit. Earlier this week, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency approved tax breaks for the market at 1455 East Ridge Road to move to the […]
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Utilities deal under review
When Recycled Energy Development agreed to buy and operate the utilities at Eastman Business Park, many local business and government leaders were relieved. Local and state officials consider Eastman Business Park a key economic development asset. And the utility system — especially the cheap and plentiful electricity generated on the site — is a large […]
