Village trustees held further discussion on development plans with the Whewell Restaurant and Love’s Travel Stops & County Stores during Thursday’s Planning and Public Facilities Committee Meeting.
Representatives from the Whewell Restaurant project recently requested the village provide TIF funds upfront, before construction begins.
Trustees reviewed this request, but ultimately voted against it. Village President Steve Waltrip says South Jacksonville has never given TIF money upfront to a project.
“Instead of fronting him the money, we are going to bring it about behind the scenes. We plan to handle it like any other TIF. He is eligible for that if he chooses to move forward. We would be glad to have him in the village.”
Trustees noted that previous conversations with Love’s Travel Stops & County Stores representatives have been positive and things look to be moving in the right direction.
Village Code Enforcement Officer Wilburn German says engineers have already completed some necessary flagging. The village hopes to have an idea of the exact location for the facility and where the roads will be laid out during a meeting on January 21st.