{"id":165237,"date":"2026-04-14T08:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/165237\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T08:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:12:08","slug":"wilson-borough-oks-tax-break-for-dixie-redevelopment-with-or-without-county-support-easton-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/165237\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson Borough OKs tax break for Dixie redevelopment, with or without county support | Easton Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

WILSON BORO., Pa. \u2013 Wilson Borough Council approved a publicly subsidized plan to help developers pay for the redevelopment of a former factory building Monday night at council chambers.<\/p>\n

A tax increment financing (TIF) plan would benefit New York-based Skyline Investment Group as they redevelop the former Dixie Cup factory into an apartment complex featuring 405 total units. The TIF district approved Monday night would encompass 12.58 acres and include the former factory and the adjacent parking lot at 315 S. 24th St. It will be known formally as 1921 at Dixie Avenue TIF District.<\/p>\n

The TIF would allow future gains in real estate value to be used now to pay for redevelopment costs. The program was first developed in 1990 as part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s TIF Act.<\/p>\n

Borough council first approved the TIF on Aug. 12, 2024, and for a second time on Aug. 25, 2025. However, Northampton County Council rejected the 20-year, $26 million TIF last November. The TIF must gain approval by all three taxing bodies where the property rests: Northampton County Council, Wilson Area School District and Wilson Borough. The school district also previously approved the plan.<\/p>\n

Last month, Skyline began a second attempt to procure the county’s approval. The development would “unlock the potential of a highly visible blighted site that has remained unused for more than 40 years,” according to the application. Should the redevelopment occur, it would “serve as a catalyst for further investment in Wilson Borough and Northampton County.”<\/p>\n

Borough council agreed to hire a consultant and pay him $500 an hour to review the Dixie TIF package at its Feb. 23 meeting.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Developer
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Northampton County will consider a publicly subsidized plan to help a developer pay to convert a former factory into an apartment complex.<\/p>\n

The project’s overall construction timeline is 18-24 months from closing on financing, according to documents filed with the county. Total estimated project costs are $185 million. Public improvements include the remediation of environmental hazards. Those hazards include removing multiple underground storage tanks, along with soil and groundwater. There is grading that must be adjusted between the bike trail and 24th Street to allow bike trail access from the sidewalk along 24th Street.<\/p>\n

The county maintains that adding a new sidewalk will further enhance safety. In addition, a new sidewalk will be constructed along Lehigh Street where there currently is no sidewalk. This will mean all public edges of the TIF would have sidewalk connectivity.<\/p>\n

A new public plaza will be created with the project. The TIF envisions this to be created “as a central gathering space accessible to residents at the broader Wilson Borough community.” The public plaza will incorporate public art, seating areas, landscaping and integrated signage that honors the site’s industrial history. The project also includes the restoration and relocation of the rooftop Dixie Cup, which will be displayed permanently in the plaza.<\/p>\n

Critical road improvements will be made, should the project come to fruition. The site will include two primary vehicular access points on South 24th Street, one dedicated gated entrance for residents and another access point for visitors and commercial patrons. There will also be a separate surface parking lot and access drive northeast of the site. This will have connections to both Washington Boulevard and Lehigh Street. The project will also integrate the Tatamy Rail Trail into the landscape and open space plans.<\/p>\n

Backup plan<\/p>\n

Borough councilmembers suggested Monday night that should the TIF fail again to gain approval by Northampton County Council, they would create their own TIF which would not require the county’s support.<\/p>\n

Described as a “backup plan” by President Jeffrey Bracken, the new plan would be created by Wilson and need only borough and school district approval. This, Bracken said, would put the borough “in the driver’s seat.”<\/p>\n

County Council is scheduled to hold a second hearing on the current TIF this Thursday night, with a vote likely in May.<\/p>\n

Mayor Donald Barrett Jr. said he would attend Thursday night’s County Council meeting to lend support for the project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WILSON BORO., Pa. \u2013 Wilson Borough Council approved a publicly subsidized plan to help developers pay for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,63286,4731,5463,5089,56305,4554,3760],"class_list":{"0":"post-165237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news","11":"tag-dixie-cup-factory","12":"tag-northampton-county-council","13":"tag-skyline-investment-group","14":"tag-tax-increment-financing","15":"tag-tif","16":"tag-wilson-borough","17":"tag-wilson-borough-council"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}