Another major industrial development sought for New Carlisle near GM/Samsung site
NEW CARLISLE — A second major industrial development is being explored for 840 acres of farmland in New Carlisle, near and even larger than the 680-acre future battery plant.
The St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission approved two agreements Thursday that allow a developer — listed only as Razor5, LLC — to further investigate its possible development of the land.
It’s unclear from county documents what or who Razor5 is. County Economic Development Director Bill Schalliol likewise was vague about the company, citing that it’s “early in the process.”
Although he said that it wouldn’t be a supplier for the battery plant, he described it as being “complementary” to the nearby manufacturers (batteries, steel, etc.), both in terms of the demands on utilities as well as the “diversity of products” made.
Asked if the manufacturer is in the transportation industry, he said, “Some aspects of the business probably are.” But he said Razor5 has nothing to do with razors or the Razor scooter manufacturer.
The company’s identity would likely become public, he said, within 90 days if it seeks economic incentives from the county.
Schalliol said the General Motors/Samsung SDI electric battery plant — a $3.5 billion project formally announced in early June — spurred this developer’s interest. County officials first met with Razor5 representatives around Memorial Day and have had several conversations and at least one other site visit since then.
He said Razor5 is a “step ahead” of other developers who’ve come nearly this far in considering the site.
As the company studies the site — and if it remains interested — it would negotiate a yet-to-be determined sale price with the owners who farm the land.
The company has agreed to put $1 million in escrow on behalf of the landowner. If the sale of the land goes ahead for the development, half of the money would go toward the purchase price. If not, the landowner would keep the money.
The site and agreements
The Redevelopment Commission approved three-way agreements between Razor5, the county and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. County documents show that one of the agreements is for “development facilitation and cost reimbursement.” The other is for “approving access.”
Razor5 has 90 days to access the parcels to see if they’d support “light industrial” use, Schalliol said. They would survey the site, delineate where wetlands may be and test the soils to see if, like the battery plant, they’d support construction.
He said the Redevelopment Commission “rushed” this to a special meeting Thursday — ahead of its regular meeting on Tuesday — so contractors could take advantage of the currently mild weather to do the tests.
The county agreement shows that the site is mostly southwest of Edison and Larrison roads, which is directly south of the I/N Tek complex. And there is a separate, smaller parcel about one mile to the south; it is southwest of Indiana 2 and Strawberry Road, which is the southern extension of Larrison.
Schalliol said it doesn’t appear that two ditches within the potential development site — the Rogers Clark Ditch and the Niespodziany Ditch — would have to be moved, though improvements may be needed for the Niespodziany.
Although the acreage is more than that of the battery plant, it’s unclear at this point whether the operations would be larger, too. Schalliol said it’s possible the developer may use part of the land for suppliers to set up shop. The battery plant expects to employ about 1,900 people when completed.
Public meetings on expanding EDA
Meanwhile, land clearing has begun for the 680-acre battery plant.
Oct. 31, 2023: County seeks to grow New Carlisle development area, cites bond for various projects
And, as The Tribune has reported, St. Joseph County officials are seeking to expand the New Carlisle Economic Development Area where it sits. It would grow the area by about 28%, from 5,426 acres to 6,923 acres, adding an extra 309 properties. Much of that, Schalliol has said, would enable the county to seek bonds for improvement projects, though portions of it may lead to development.
The current EDA, though, already encompasses the land that Razor5 is considering.
County officials have scheduled an open house for the public to learn about and ask questions about the expanded EDA boundaries from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Nov. 13 at the New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library, 408 Bray St., which is in town and just south of U.S. 20. That likely won’t offer additional information about Razor5, Schalliol said.
Approval for the expanded boundaries will come for final approval on Nov. 14, first to the Redevelopment Commission at 9 a.m. and then to the County Council at 6 p.m., both at the County-City Building in downtown South Bend.
South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: New Carlisle industrial use sought near electric battery plant
