Cement distribution plant proposed for Port of Providence

PROVIDENCE CITY Council President Luis A. Aponte said that McInnis USA Inc. has requested a 12-year tax incentive plan from the city to offset taxes in locating the facility on a site controlled by the Port of Providence.  / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
PROVIDENCE CITY Council President Luis A. Aponte said that McInnis USA Inc. has requested a 12-year tax incentive plan from the city to offset taxes in locating the facility on a site controlled by the Port of Providence. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

(Updated 1:41 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE — A Canadian company wants to locate a cement distribution plant at the Port of Providence, which would act as a regional transfer center for its products through the Northeast.
McInnis Cement is based in Montreal. An affiliated company, McInnis USA Inc., has requested a 12-year tax incentive plan from the city to offset taxes in locating the facility on a site controlled by ProvPort, according to City Council President Luis A. Aponte.
Aponte, who said he had been briefed on the proposal, said McInnis operates a quarry at a location in southeastern Canada and will ship that product to the new Providence facility, then use the local freight rail network for distribution.
It was not immediately clear how many jobs will be created as a result of the expansion, he said. He was told the project could easily include a $40 million investment by the company.
The location is a site off Shipyard Street.

McInnis Cement has a limestone quarry and is building a cement manufacturing plant, as well as a maritime terminal at Port-Daniel-Gascons, in Gaspesie, a town in the province of Quebec, said company spokeswoman Maryse Tremblay.
The cement plant is described by the company on its website as one of the largest industrial construction projects in eastern North America. On completion, it will be capable of producing 2.2 million metric tons of cement a year.

An ordinance that will be introduced to the City Council on Thursday requests a 12-year tax stabilization agreement for the company on two fronts. McInnis is seeking tax incentives for property taxes, as well as for tangible property, which could include transportation equipment and materials inside the building.
The company has estimated it will have $8 million in tangible assets. Under the property tax deferral, the company would pay the assessed value of the land for the first three years, followed by three more years of paying taxes on an assessed value of $5 million. Beginning in year seven, the company would pay a portion of the current assessed value, increasing until full taxation in year 13.
The amount of the tax stabilization and its length is appropriate given the scale of the development, Aponte said, in a telephone interview Wednesday.
“This is an important enticement to get businesses located here,” he said.
A spokeswoman for McInnis Cement, reached Wednesday afternoon, declined immediate comment.

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  1. no more incentives. just lower the business tax rate to $25 down from the present $36. this will allow all businesses to benefit and maybe spur expansion and increase new businesses to move to Providence.