Georgia leaders are attempting to recruit a battery manufacturer to open an innovation center in Atlanta, a deal that could involve a Fulton County agency granting the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax incentives.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development is trying to woo a “state-of-the-art global innovation center” with 110 workers by an undisclosed battery company, according to a Development Authority of Fulton County meeting agenda. The agency, rebranded as Develop Fulton and commonly known as DAFC, will consider whether to approve a nearly $870,000 tax break to the battery company during its scheduled Tuesday meeting.
Using the code name “Project Phoenix,” the innovation center recruitment effort is shrouded in mystery with few public details, but it would add another battery-related project to Georgia’s fast-growing e-mobility and electric vehicle sector.
“Considering the significant construction build-out costs and the need to house advanced technical equipment, local property tax incentives will play a critical role in the location decision and timing of Project Phoenix,” said a fact sheet within DAFC’s agenda.
The specific location of the project wasn’t disclosed, but the battery company has identified an existing building in Atlanta’s urban core. The agenda mentions the Westside Tax Allocation District as a relevant jurisdiction, indicating the building is locatedwithin the district, which includes the western part of downtown, Centennial Yards, English Avenue, Vine City, Georgia Tech and parts of Midtown and West Midtown.