Racine County Site Tapped For Foxconn Manufacturing Facility

Taiwanese tech manufacturer Foxconn has selected a site in the village of Mount Pleasant for its massive new manufacturing facility in Wisconsin.

Representatives from the electronics manufacturer joined state and local officials for the announcement in Sturtevant on Wednesday morning.

“We’re looking for partnership, I think that’s where the excitement is,” said Louis Woo, special assistant to the chairman and CEO of Foxconn.

The nearly 1,200-acre campus will be located off Interstate 94 between Braun Road and Highway KR. Foxconn will invest an estimated $10 billion in the facility and is projected to hire up to 13,000 workers.

The state Legislature approved a $3 billion incentives package for the manufacturer last month. The package includes tax credits for construction and job creation, as well as allowances for Foxconn to bypass some state environmental regulations.

Local officials lauded the deal as a game changer for the village of Mount Pleasant and surrounding communities.

“This is a turning point in the history of Racine County, no doubt,” said Racine County executive Jonathan Delvagrave.

Village of Mount Pleasant President David DeGroot lead the crowd of more than 100 at the announcement in a synchronized proclamation of, “What a day to be from Wisconsin!”

“This investment in our village means jobs,” DeGroot said. “It means more people calling our community home.”

DeGroot said the Mount Pleasant village board is working on a local incentive package for Foxconn. The village and Racine County are also preparing a development agreement to help protect them from any economic risk from the project.

Local governments will be responsible for infrastructure improvements including roadway expansions, water and sanitary sewer services and fiber optic lines.

Jenny Trick, executive director of the Racine County Economic Development Corp., confirmed all of the land designated for the 20 million square foot manufacturing facility has been acquired from local landowners, and that the average payment was $50,000 per acre.

Trick said construction is projected to begin on the facility by next spring.

The next step for the project is approval of the final contract with Foxconn by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Good morning from Sturtevant, where officials are announcing the site for the 20 mil sq. ft. Foxconn manufacturing facility: Mount Pleasant. pic.twitter.com/1WF387dm61

— Laurel White (@lkwhite) October 4, 2017

Editor’s Note: This story was updated with original reporting from WPR at 12:27 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2017.