Massive $55M logistics project in works in Johnson County

The Whiteland Town Council has scheduled a special meeting May 26 to consider a tax abatement related to the proposed development of a $55 million, 997,000-square-foot logistics building on 121 acres east of the Johnson County town.

The developer, Mohr Development, was successful last week in getting the property at the northeast corner of Graham and Whiteland roads rezoned from agricultural to industrial.

The building would take up 70 acres of the property, which is just west of Interstate 65.

Whiteland Town Manager Norm Gabehart told the Daily Journal that the developer has a tenant lined up to use the entire building for a logistics operation. The developer has not publicly named the tenant.

The project is expected to create about 200 jobs, Gabehart told the newspaper.

Plans call the property to receive a new retention pond, roadways and undulating mounds as buffers for neighboring residential areas. The land was formerly part of Whiteland Orchard and has been vacant for years, Gabehart said.

The developer plans to spend $44.7 million to build the facility and make adjacent infrastructure improvements, plus $10 million on logistics equipment for the building.

If approved, the abatement would save the owner nearly 50% on property taxes over the next 10 years. The abatement already received preliminary approval from the Town Council.