Governor Terry Branstad announced today that the Commerce Center of Southeast Iowa is the latest industrial site to achieve certification through the Iowa Certified Site Program that is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The site, just west of Burlington, joins 11 other sites in the state that have been designated as project-ready. Because the site is on federal property at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant site in Middletown, It took an act of Congress to increase the land lease duration from the usual 25 years to 50 years to enable the industrial site. Sen. Chuck Grassley helped to pass the legislation. Grassley made the following comment on the announcement.
“The site certification will give Iowa an edge in attracting businesses that need a large site. That would be positive for economic development and job creation in Southeast Iowa. In turn, a large business presence on the site would generate revenue to reduce overhead costs for the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, making it more competitive and so preserving and possibly increasing that workforce.”
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