By Glenn Kaplan
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore County Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to give a $70,000 conditional loan to a Georgia-based floor and tile company to help it build a new warehouse and distribution center at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point.
The money will be used by Floor and Décor Outlets of America, Inc., to cover some of the costs of equipment at the 1.5-million-square-foot $65 million facility, which is expected to be operational by spring 2020 and bring 150 jobs to eastern Baltimore County.
The council approved the loan so that the company can secure $700,000 in state financing for the project through the Maryland Economic Developmental Assistance Authority and Fund program, which requires local jurisdictions to match 10 percent of whatever the state provides.
Councilman Todd K. Crandell, R-District 7, which includes Sparrows Point, said the new warehouse will bring more than what some people see as low-paying distribution jobs.
“We tend to think of distribution centers as entirely lower income jobs or entry level jobs,” Crandell said. “They are certainly part of it. But when you go into some of these facilities that are being built, these are high-tech facilities. There’s robotics, there’s automation These things need to be built, maintained and serviced throughout their life cycle, which are really good jobs.”
Will Anderson, the director of the county’s Department of Economic and Workforce Development, said the Sparrows Point development is allowing the county to attract a good mix of jobs.
He said the construction jobs at Tradepoint Atlantic alone are helping to employee many residents in the region. Floor and Décor will only add to that mix by providing high-tech employment opportunities.
“Many of those are extremely well-paying family supported jobs,” Anderson said. “You’re also going to have IT, tech office and formal supply chain logistic jobs that go along with it.”
Anderson said manufacturers are looking at Sparrows Point, adding that companies like Amazon are making big investments at the Tradepoint Atlantic site.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars are used inside the [Amazon] building,” he said. “And taking care of that level of sophisticated equipment is a long line of support from direct jobs to indirect jobs and induced jobs throughout the county.”
The state and county conditional loans have 10-year terms with 3 percent interest rates. For them to be forgiven after 10 years, the company must have at least 150 employers by December 31, 2023.
If the company doesn’t have the required number of employees by then, those loans will be converted to grants and it will be calculated on a proportion basis. They will be responsible for repaying the remaining loan balances.
Floor & Décor, which is a specialty retailer of tile, wood, laminate and nature stone flooring and accessories, is just one of several businesses that have opened or are planning to open at the former Bethlehem Steel mill plant in Sparrows Point.
The county, which has provided $78 million to help build roads and water and sewer lines at the site, estimates that the Tradepoint Atlantic project will bring 17,000 permanent jobs to the region. A study conducted by the Sage Policy Group estimated that the economic impact of the development will top $3 billion.
Amazon, FedEx Ground, Pasha Automotive, Under Armour and Gotham Greens are some of the companies that have located there.
In other action, the council hired a national law firm to help it fight five lawsuits in which local religious institutions claim the county violated their rights under federal law.
Under the terms of the contract, the county would pay Whiteford, Taylor and Preston LLP up to $1.5 million over a possible seven-year period. The contract runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. It could be extended for three one-year periods.
The county is being sued by five religious organizations that believe the county violated their rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which protects churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious facilities from zoning law obligations that restrict their ability to exercise their religion.