Duke Energy Picks Franklin County Site For Economic Development Program

Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 8:07 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

The 80-acre site on State Road 1 near St. Leon will get marketing help from the utility company.

(Franklin County, Ind.) - Economic development prospects for some property on the southern edge of Franklin County is going to get a boost from Duke Energy Indiana.

The utility company’s economic development consultants have selected six locations in Indiana for the 2018 Site Readiness Program. An 80-acre site on State Road 1 north of the Interstate 74 interchange in St. Leon is among them.

According to Duke Energy, the Site Readiness Program identifies, evaluates and improves sites in the company's service territory for potential industrial development. Duke Energy Indiana's overall economic development program has been consistently named by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation's "Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs."

While the other five sites will be evaluated by a national site consulting firm and have conceptual drawings and site plans produced, the Franklin County property will be the lone participant in a first-time Site Readiness Light Program. The program gives the property to same treatment, with the exception of the evaluation by the consultant.

Franklin County’s site could qualify to participate in the full Site Readiness program as soon as 2019.

Once each site’s state of readiness has improved, Duke Energy’s business development team will strategically market the sites to companies looking to expand or relocate.

"Duke Energy is honored to select these communities for participation in the 2018 Site Readiness Program," said Erin Schneider, director of economic development for Duke Energy Indiana. "We are eager to contribute resources to help promote economic development, jobs and quality of life for these regions."

Last year, Dearborn County’s West Harrison TIF district was selected for the same program.

The five other Indiana sites in Duke Energy’s 2018 Site Readiness Program include:

A 66-acre site near Creek Way and 106th Street in Zionsville (Boone County)

A 175-acre site in the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville (Clark County)

A 200-acre site at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers (Hamilton County)

A 143-acre site along East County Road 400 South near the interchange of State Road 3 and Interstate 70 (Henry County)

A 500-acre site inside the Vermillion Rise Mega Park (Vermillion County)