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3M eyes potential Angleton facility
Published November 8, 2009
ANGLETON — The 3M Co. could place a $50 million facility in Angleton, if it can reach agreements on a land purchase and tax incentives.
City Council on Tuesday is set to consider a reinvestment zone off Highway 35 and a 10-year, 90-percent tax abatement, Angleton Economic Development Director Patti Worfe said. For its part, 3M is considering buying a 20-acre parcel between Downing and Buchta Roads, and Kiber Street.
If the deal is completed, 3M would renovate some existing property and construct some new buildings. The plant would be built in two phases and would be valued at about $50 million, Worfe said.
The company has narrowed possible sites to Angleton and a location in Louisiana, she said.
The plant would manufacture, “corrosive-protection products to be used on metals,” 3M spokeswoman Donna Fleming Runyon said. She called Angleton, “an attractive site” which would allow them to be closer to customers in the Houston area.
Phase 1 would employ 65 people once opened.
“This is a project we’ve been working on for a number of months,” Worfe said. “It’s a fabulous prospect we’d love to have in Angleton, and we’re hopeful that with the right incentive package, it ultimately will be.”
The city’s abatement threshold usually is seven years, “but after a $10 million investment, it’s negotiable,” Worfe said.
While no definite timeline is established, 3M hopes to be, “up and running by the fourth quarter of next year,” Runyon said. Employees would be a mix of local hires and transfers, she said.
An international company, 3M makes products for consumers, communication, health care and safety industries, according to its Web site.
3M’s best-known brands include Post-it Notes, Scotch tapes, Scotchgard fabric protectors, Scotch-Brite scouring pads and Filtrete home air filters. 3M has operations in more than 60 countries.
The potential Angleton project has been kept under wraps since the purchase of a parcel of land is not closed, Angleton Mayor J. Patrick Henry said. He said he hopes for a resolution soon.
“We have other options and are looking into those options, but we’re hoping all parties will see how positive it will be for Angleton and work together,” he said. “It’s a clean industry and could be a tremendous deal for us. It would bring new jobs and a chance for Angleton and the area to branch out and diversify.”
Brazoria County officials have not yet taken action on the proposal, said Arthur Velasquez, executive assistant to County Judge Joe King. Angleton ISD hasn’t yet discussed the issue but will work with the city however possible, Superintendent Heath Burns said.
“We’ve had no contact from 3M, but any potential community partner that wants to visit with us, we’re open to that dialogue,” he said.
The Economic Development Alliance for Brazoria County has been working on “a project” for the city but had no details, said Debbie Pennington, vice president of operations. The alliance has provided demographics and other requested information.
“We’ve been providing support documentation for the project, but we didn’t know it was 3M,” Pennington said. “We’ve been assisting the city. They’ve taken the lead on this project.”
She said the alliance would like to see the facility, its jobs and potential for long-term economic development in Angleton.
John Lowman covers Angleton for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.
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