Situation

Majestic Realty Co. is the largest privately-owned industrial developer in the United States. The company had purchased the option on a 309-acre parcel of land located in the Town of Somers, Wisconsin, near the site of a planned Amazon distribution center, to build an industrial park. In order to attract national tenants, Majestic Realty was seeking to make the Town of Somers a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district to secure public financial incentives. However, because the Town of Somers is an unincorporated township, officials did not have the authority to create a TIF district, which was necessary to move the project forward.

Approach

We helped Majestic Realty develop relationships with key government leaders in order to effectively lobby for regulatory changes. A key part of our approach was to facilitate meetings with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, policymakers and economic development professionals so Majestic Realty could tell their story and explain why the Town of Somers needed to become a TIF district.

Results

We successfully negotiated a provision in the 2011 Biennial State Budget to allow the Town of Somers to become a TIF district. The Town of Somers was the sixth town in the state to be granted TIF privileges. This provision ensured that Majestic Realty’s economic development proposal could move forward and now opens the door for future development by allowing the town to pay for improvements, such as sewer and water services.