EASTON, Pa. – After nixing one tax abatement proposal Thursday night, Northampton County Council is looking into the possibility of canceling another one that’s been on the books for years.
One of the items on its agenda for its Thursday evening meeting was the introduction of an ordinance (see page 87) to repeal a separate ordinance passed in 2023.
That ordinance — No. 744-2023 — extended a 10-year, Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) area for the River Pointe Logistics site in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
The LERTA, first established in 2018, was also approved by the township and the Bangor Area School District.
Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure has a new proposal to limit the break on property taxes on Lou Pektor’s development that he will present to County Council on Thursday.
Then-County Executive Lamont McClure was opposed to the extension; he vetoed council’s ordinance, but council overrode his veto, 6-3.
A separate effort to rescind the extension the following year also failed.
The River Pointe project was billed as a massive industrial site spread across 12 buildings on more than 800 acres. But development has been slowed by litigation and other problems. Amazon was rumored to be considering building a data center there, but the deal fell apart.
Northampton County Council did not offer a reason for introducing the possible repeal on Thursday night. A public hearing, discussion and possible vote have been scheduled for council’s meeting on May 21.
The introduction came on the same night council denied a TIF (tax increment financing) proposal for the developer of the Dixie Cup project in Wilson Borough.
TIF 2.0 for Dixie Cup project? It’s a ‘no’ from Northampton County Council