FedEx to build small-parcel distribution facility in Indiana

The delivery giant was awarded a tax break by the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission in order to construct the $259 million facility, which is slated for opening in 2020.    FedEx Ground Package System, Inc., will build a $259 million, 608,000-square-foot distribution center in Indiana for small parcel distribution.
   The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission on Tuesday approved the facility plan at city’s Common Council, along with a $172 million tax break for the facility. The site on which the facility will be built “includes the potential for a future expansion…However, the expansion is not included in this application and has not been approved by FedEx,” the commission’s approval document stated.    
   FedEx and the City of Greenwood, Indiana, agreed on the tax break due to the city’s need to “provide incentives to stimulate investment within the community.” The commission stated that it “recognizes the need to stimulate growth and maintain a sound economy within its corporate limits,” and that its state laws provide for a program of real property tax abatement and personal property tax abatement within “economic revitalization areas” (“ERAs”). As a result, the Greenwood Common Council dubbed the facility acreage as an ERA.    
   FedEx also intends to invest “approximately $100,000,000 in logistical distribution equipment to support the growth of the company’s package distribution business, which will create additional employment positions and additional payroll,” the commission stated. 
   With construction slated for early next year, the facility is expected to be completed by 2020 and will employ 80 full-time employees and 375 part-time employees. Situated on 237 acres, the facility will sort 30,000 packages an hour.