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Type of Project: <br />Company Name: <br />Project Location: <br />Key Map: <br />'G <br />OF <br />Harris County Tax Abatement Program <br />Project Summary and Economic Analysis <br />Revised — March 13, 2007 <br />New Construction — Cold Storage Warehousing and Distribution <br />Preferred Freezer Services (Lessee) <br />Under Bear, LLC (Owner/Lessor) <br />10000 Porter Road <br />LaPorte, Texas 77571 <br />Precinct 2, Commissioner Sylvia Garcia <br />539J <br />PROJECT SUMMARY <br />Municipal Action: On November 6, 2006, the City of La Porte held a public hearing to consider the creation of a <br />reinvestment zone for entering into a tax abatement agreement with Preferred Freezer Services Houston Port, <br />LLC (Preferred Freezer) where no public opposition was expressed, created the La Porte Reinvestment Zone <br />"Zone C" by City Ordinance No. 2006-2955, and approved a tax abatement agreement by City Ordinance No. <br />2006-2956. <br />Prior Actions by Commissioners Court: An early start variance was approved for the proposed project <br />November 21, 2006, to enable construction to commence prior to the execution of a tax abatement agreement. <br />Business Profile: Preferred Freezer Services (Preferred Freezer) started operations in Perth Amboy, New Jersey <br />in 1989. Currently, Preferred Freezer operates 14 cold storage warehouses with a total 74 million cubic feet of <br />space. Locations for the facilities are in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. <br />Preferred Freezer Services will be new to Harris County having no other business facilities in operation in the <br />state of Texas. Sales for the 14 facilities generated $79 million in 2005. <br />Development Plan: Preferred Freezer Services' business is steadily growing. The proposed project consist of <br />a new 167,381 square foot state of the art, standardized refrigerated warehouse and distribution facility in the <br />Underwood Business Park in La Porte, TX. The new site will be located on an estimated 10.115 -acre tract at <br />10000 Porter Road in Precinct 2. Preferred Freezer estimates an investment of $10.4 million in the new facility <br />of which $9.9 million will be subject to abatement. <br />Competitive Siting: Preferred Freezer Services considered two other cities as potential site locations for this <br />project. Chicago, IL was considered because it would be the second facility in that area market and they have the <br />resources for employees, vendors and customers. Chicago has offered a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) which <br />allows lower multiples on the assessed value thereby lowering property taxes. Jacksonville, Fl has been <br />considered because the site is located in an Enterprise/Empowerment Zone offering hiring incentives, <br />infrastructure grants, and tax refunds. <br />Environmental Issues: According to the Pollution Control Division of Harris County Public Health & <br />Environmental Services, the compliance history database of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality <br />(TCEQ) and the EPA Integrated Compliance Information System were reviewed with no enforcement actions, <br />violation notices, or complaints found regarding Preferred Freezer Services. This project will be subject to state <br />