PEKIN, Ill. – Pekin City Council voted unanimously Monday night to sell 67 acres of city-owned land to Singapore-based medical equipment maker Epic.
The property at the Riverway Business Park, being sold for $500,000, would be Epic’s first U.S. production facility.
Mayor Mary Burress described the deal to 25 News as “fantastic”, while the city manager said it was a “big deal”.
Epic plans to build a factory in two or three phases and hire 100 more people to make IV parts like intravenous tubes, stands and bags.
No city tax breaks are involved in the deal, but Pekin staffers recently learned the company will receive state incentives for building in Illinois.
Pekin Economic Development Director Josh Wray says the city’s selling points included the speed in which the deal could be made, its business-friendly culture, and the quality and dependability of its water supply.
“One of the reasons that they chose our region was because of the reliable and high-quality water coming from the aquifer and ultimately through American Water’s treatment process,” Wray said. “They did a national search and looked at other states, and they were having issues with that factor. That’s one of the reasons they settled on us.”
Once completed, Epic’s plant in Pekin is projected to add $300,000 a year in property tax revenue for the city, according to Pekin staffers.
Epic’s executives are expected to visit Pekin on Friday, March 28 for a press event celebrating the company’s decision to do business in Pekin.
Also Monday night, Pekin City Council unanimously approved its third and final special use permit for recreational cannabis sales.
The council is approving a marijuana dispensary that will be located at Sunset Hills Plaza on Court Street.
Dispensary co-owner Vick Mehta told the city’s zoning board of appeals that his company, VHEA, LLC, plans on buying the entire shopping center and paying for upgrades.
The council’s action follows its approval earlier this month to allow another cannabis dispensary in the former Pekin Performing Arts Center downtown.
Pekin currently has one dispensary open for business. nuEra Pekin Dispensary is located at 3249 Court Street.
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