US (AZ): Monsanto buys land near Marana for greenhouse
The St. Louis-based company paid $3.74 million Wednesday to a company owned by the Kai farming family of Marana for the land, county records show.
The purchase came nearly two months after Monsanto said it plans to build a greenhouse on seven acres in the Tucson area. The company has said it will hire 40 to 60 employees and its representatives have said it will invest $100 million.
It came a few days after the Star reported that Pima County and Monsanto are negotiating a possible incentive deal that would reduce the company’s property tax burden on the site by two-thirds. That proposal probably will go to the Board of Supervisors in November or December, Huckelberry has said. The company has said it plans to start construction on the greenhouse by the end of 2016.
The incentive being considered would expand the county’s foreign trade zone to include the Monsanto site. Inclusion in the zone reduces import duties and would offer Monsanto other benefits besides property tax abatements.
Read more at tucson.com