In a quickly called special meeting Wednesday night, York County officials voted to shift tax incentives in a billion-dollar development project from the City of Rock Hill to the city school district. And may have endangered the project by doing so.
The county council narrowly passed a change to tax incentives in the $1.5 billion Octapharma project. The Octapharma deal at what was to be the site of the Carolina Panthers entertainment complex is the biggest development deal to come to the city since the Panthers deal fell through.
And its one of the biggest to come to the state in years. Potentially bringing 1500 jobs to Rock Hill.
The city has been wary of the county’s proposed terms for the project from the beginning, though. That wariness stems from last year’s Costco deal which redirected tax incentive money from the city to the schools.
In June the city council passed a resolution that if the county redirected Octapharma project tax incentives the city would not lend its needed support to the project.
Wednesday’s 4-3 vote to shift the incentives puts Rock Hill in a position to contribute more than originally expected towards the project. Which also happened in the Panthers deal and led to the city and county blaming each other for the failed project.
The city will now decide whether it supports the Octapharma deal under the new terms the county has given it.