May 14, 2015
Greg Gardner

General Motors will provide details of its $419 million renovation and expansion of its Warren Tech Center Thursday morning.

Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president for global product development, Gov. Rick Snyder, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Warren Mayor Jim Fouts will attend the ceremony at the Tech Center.

Last month the Warren City Council approved a 12-year tax abatement for the project that will begin later this year and be completed by the end of 2020, according to an estimated construction timeline provided to city officials.

It will be the biggest upgrade of the sprawling campus and its buildings, which were designed by renown architect Eero Saarinen, since it opened in 1955.

The tax savings for GM is unknown, but tax revenue on the improvements will be half of what it normally would be, city officials have said.

For perspective, the city granted GM a 12-year tax abatement in 2006 valued at $19.8 million in exchange for an investment at the automaker's transmission plant in the city that retained 300 existing jobs.

Source
Detroit Free Press