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Sun King brewery lands tax breaks for expansion

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Sun King Brewing Co. is preparing for another round of growth and has landed city and state incentives to help offset the investment.

According to to a tax-incentives deal approved Wednesday afternoon by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission, the downtown Indianapolis brewery on North College Avenue said it is prepared to spend $2.1 million on additional brewing, logistics and information-technology equipment, which will allow it to add 20 employees by 2016.

The new jobs would pay an average of $17.10 an hour, slightly more than the $16.91 average wage paid to the 35 existing employees who would be retained through the abatement, according to city documents.

Sun King’s investment initially should increase the assessed value of its property by $840,000, the city said. The brewery is expected to save $97,020 in personal property taxes during the abatement period and pay $10,080. The brewery would pay an estimated $19,769 in personal property taxes annually after the abatement expires.

In a separate deal reached with the state and announced Wednesday, Sun King said it planned to spend $3.9 million to add 1,850 square feet to its existing 2,700- square-foot facility. The brewery will house 240 barrel fermentation tanks to allow for an increase in beer production.

Sun King told the state that the expansion would help it increase employment by 32 workers by 2016.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Sun King up to $240,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $60,000 in training grants based on the job-creation plans.

Sun King was launched in mid-2009 and produced 5,000 barrels of beer in its first year of operation. It doubled that amount in 2011 and brewed 18,000 barrels last year.

Sun King is the second-largest brewer in Indiana, behind only Three Floyds Brewing Co. in Munster, which produces about 23,000 barrels annually and also is growing quickly.
 

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  • No Way
    And the poor folks in the Avondale area get NOTHING. Wow - way to go MDC.
  • Give it to them!
    Great company, great beer, Sun King will generate 20 jobs +, and likely more in the service industry. Yes to the abatement please.
  • Abatements are conditional
    Patti, the city isn't giving Sun King $97K. An abatement is a reduction, not a gift. In addition, abatements are conditional. If the company doesn't meet the conditions, it will be required to pay the taxes.
  • Help Sun King grow
    Yes to the abatement, because this growth will result in much more than just 20 jobs. Sun King has a national reputation that reflects well on Indianapolis. Out-of-towners come to Indianapolis to visit Sun King (and our city's other fine microbreweries), and they spend additional money on food and lodging while they're here. Sun King is a terrific community partner to many Central Indiana organizations. And they're doing all this from a set of buildings that would otherwise have stood empty.
  • Tax Abatement
    So, let me get this straight....We give them $97K and MAYBE 20 people will get jobs in two years. And what penalty will be assessed if the jobs don't materialize? NO to the abatement.

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    1. RKW's comments read like a modern "Chicken Little". As a Raintree resident for many years, "Yes, I'm ready for this." Matter of fact, I welcome The Farm because it's a development that compliments our town, brings new and desirable shopping & dining closer (specialty grocer, upscale shops, micro brew pub, etc), offers upscale condos for empty nesters who want to stay in Zionsville, is being planned and constructed by local, well-reputed firms and, of course, provides desirable non property tax benefits. We all knew the Pittman's were going to develop their property sooner than later. That one of the Pittman's will continue to live on the property helps assure The Farm will be everything promised. This also sets a standard for other developers as to the quality of future developments - which should keep an ugly Walmart at bay for decades. As we've no meglomaniac mayor, I seriously doubt Zionsville would ever aspire to over-priced statues or subsidized retail rents. And we already have a very nice public theater, the Zionsville Performing Arts Center, that meets our cultural needs quite nicely.

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