MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — A controversial medical research facility in Muskegon County has asked for tax abatement on the location of its new facility.
Northern Biomedical Research is a Norton Shores based company who plans on moving their operations to the newly constructed 125,000 square foot facility in the city of Muskegon. It will inhabit the space where the West Shoreline Correctional Facility was located previously.
In a Muskegon City Commission meeting on Tuesday night, a resolution was proposed to create a Commercial Rehabilitation District at 2725 Olthoff Dr.
The Commercial Rehabilitation District will freeze the taxable value of the building and exempt the new real property investment from local taxes. The school operating tax and the State Education Tax will still levied on the new development.
The Commercial Rehabilitation District will encompass the new facility and additional 10 acres situated next to the lot. In a Muskegon City Commission meeting in January, leaders announced the research facility could double in size over the next decade and result in as many as 400 jobs.
The Commercial Rehabilitation District proposal will need to go to the planning commission before heading to the city council for approval.
The research facility has received backlash from the community because of animal testing that will be done on the premises.
Many protesters of the facility showed up to voice their concerns at the Muskegon City Commission meeting on Tuesday night.
Watch the full city commission meeting here.
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