A.V. GETS BUSINESS BOOST : STATE GIVES INITIAL APPROVAL FOR ENTERPRISE ZONE IN AREA.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley picked up a powerful tool for economic development Monday with its selection as a state enterprise zone, able to offer tax credits and other incentives to attract business and jobs. Conditionally approved after five years of effort by civic leaders, the Antelope Valley enterprise zone will cover more than 40 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. and include nearly all industrial and most commercial property - vacant or developed - in Palmdale, Lancaster and neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. unincorporated Adj. 1. unincorporated - not organized and maintained as a legal corporation unorganised, unorganized - not having or belonging to a structured whole; "unorganized territories lack a formal government" territory. ``It's a very important perk perk 1 v. perked, perk·ing, perks v.intr. 1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk. 2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner. to put on the table,'' said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. ``It's another tool for our toolbox See toolkit and toolbar. .'' Conferred by the state Trade and Commerce Agency under legislation authored by Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, R-Palmdale, the designation means businesses that move into or already are located within the zone boundaries will be eligible for an array of state tax benefits. Including the Antelope Valley, California has 39 enterprise zones. The benefits include tax credits and deductions for interest earned on investments. Businesses can also get a hiring credit - potentially up to $19,000 - for wages paid to employees hired through specific programs during their first five years on the job. ``It'll bring people to the Antelope Valley. It will stimulate the economy,'' Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts Frank Roberts may refer to:
One company that will benefit from the enterprise zone designation is Anderson-Barrows Metals Corp., a Palmdale company which manufactures pipe fittings. The company, which has about 370 employees now, is planning to add 100 to 150 workers, said Neill Anderson, company president. ``It will help us in the future in staffing and training. When you're talking $19,000 an employee, that's a huge benefit,'' Anderson said. ``That type of thing means a lot to our plant.'' Anderson-Barrows' parent company, Watt Industries, has been awaiting word on the enterprise zone in its consideration of establishing a 100,000-square-foot distribution center for its valve business. Such a center would probably bring 50 to 100 jobs, Anderson said. Within 10 days to two weeks, the state will send out a list of conditions that the Antelope Valley must meet before final approval of the zone designation will be given. Antelope Valley officials plan to meet the conditions by Jan. 1. Typically those conditions include hiring an enterprise zone manager, completing an environmental impact report, and satisfying a state review of the area's marketing materials, said Trade and Commerce Agency spokesman Mike Marando. In the competition for the two slots authorized au·thor·ize tr.v. au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing, au·thor·iz·es 1. To grant authority or power to. 2. To give permission for; sanction: by Knight's bill, the Palmdale-Lancaster application finished first out of the three competitors, scoring 1,171 points out of a possible 1,250. Watsonville finished second with 1,154 points. Orland-Glenn County finished third with 1,120 points. ``The new designation will provide important assistance particular to the Palmdale and Lancaster areas, which have sustained a fair amount of job losses due to defense downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing and corporate restructuring in recent years,'' Julie Meier Wright, Trade and Commerce Agency secretary, said in the announcement. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts, from left, Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight and Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford have campaigned for the area enterprise zone. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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