Wood County Commissioners approved a
15-year tax abatement plan Thursday morning for a Home Depot distribution center in Troy Township.The
agreement exempts the company from property taxes for its 1.63 million square-foot facility, expected to
be built near the southwest corner of U.S. 20 and Pemberville Road beginning in August. Troy Township
trustees approved the deal Wednesday.Eastwood schools will receive $675,000 per year as part of the
plan, with Penta receiving $69,000 per year.The facility is expected to bring to the area 125 full-time
jobs and another 30 part-time positions under a $5.1 payroll.Wade Gottschalk, executive director of Wood
County Economic Development Commission, said Home Depot’s commitment to building a half-mile, $2.4
million public road including utilities will allow for easier development of the remaining portion of
the site.The distribution center will occupy about 160 acres of the 448-acre lot, with public road
access making it easier to market plots to smaller companies more likely to purchase them."It
enhances the options we have for that site," Gottschalk said."It really makes another
industrial park in the county."Jacob Williams, real estate manager for Home Depot, said the center
has a planned opening of January 2015 and allows the company to continue growing its supply chain in
Ohio.James Condon, chief development officer at Seefried Properties, said the project moved forward
quickly because the site was pre-zoned and did not require an adjustment by the county’s planning
commission."If that legwork hadn’t been done on the front end, it would be very difficult to come
in and locate something like this," he said.Condon said Home Depot pre-qualified three regional and
two local contractors to build the facility, and with "all else being equal", their preference
is to use area companies and workers."Whenever we can, we do that," he said.