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South Bend Tribune
A project in the works for the New Carlisle area would build a massive solar energy farm while also setting up a new special taxing district that could be used to funnel money toward tax incentives for the company and St. Joseph County’s development efforts in the “Indiana Enterprise Center” industrial zone.
County officials are working with renewable energy company RES to build the farm, nicknamed “Project Honeysuckle,” on up to 1,900 acres of farmland bounded roughly by U.S. 20 and Spruce, Tamarack and Darden roads.
The company this week confirmed the plan, which was also presented to members of the St. Joseph County Council, Redevelopment Commission and Board of Commissioners during a closed-door meeting in April, according to a slideshow presentation obtained by The Tribune.
For five years, the St. Joseph County Commissioners have pursued a vision of developing a mega-industrial complex, the proposed Indiana Enterprise Center, over the objections of county residents. A new report from the Open Space and Agricultural Alliance shows that they have spent $9.6 million on this project, with little to show for it. County officials have dismissed residentsâ concerns about the loss of farmland and quality of life by urging the significance of this project for the county. With nearly $10 million gone, itâs high time to ask whether the grandiose IEC project is worth the expense.
To date, the commissioners have not assessed the project, greenlighting every IEC expenditure brought to them. OSAAâs financial report (protectsjc.com) reveals the full cost of the project thus far, how the money has been spent, and its impact on local government revenues. The $9.6 million has been spent mainly on consultants ($4.5 million), property purchases to expand roa
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