By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The possibility of a spec building in Greenville moved a step closer on Tuesday with Greenville City Council approving a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) agreement with GPS Computer Service & More LLC. The proposed building will be on KitchenAid Way. Spec buildings are buildings of varying sizes that are ready to move into and can accommodate warehousing or manufacturing.

According to Law Director Michael Rieman, the CRA provides a break on the property taxes on the value of the property after the improvements are made. The current tax on the property remains the same, which means those affected by the CRA do not lose their current funding. However, the CRA takes into account a percentage of the new improvements.

Geoff Surber, owner of GPS Computer Service & More LLC, is planning a 36,000 square foot facility and has received assistance from the Rural Industrial Park Loan Program to help secure financing. This is a low-interest loan.

The agreement was approved unanimously by the council.

The council’s Utility Committee will also take into consideration a request from Surber to waive the tap-in fees. Safety Service Director Ryan Delk shared the city and Surber are continuing to go through the plans to determine if there is one or two tap-ins that will occur. The project may require two because of the fire suppression system.

The committee will also consider a request to waive tap-in fees from Spirit, Inc. on Sweitzer Street.

The council also heard a presentation from Omni Fiber. The company is planning on bringing fiber internet to Greenville. Construction of the network is expected to begin next month, and the company will begin accepting customers in mid-summer. The construction is expected to take three to four months. According to a representative from Omni Fiber, the fiber network is more reliable than other internet services with speeds ranging up to two million gigabits per second.

The city will look into a complaint about a property on Virginia Avenue that was brought to the council’s attention by two residents. The residents described the property as a Sanford and Son exhibition.

In other business, council:

* Approved a resolution that authorizes the city to join with Greenville City School District to bid for fuel;

* Held public hearings on zoning recommendations for fencing and transient housing (Air BnB, Bed & Breakfast). Legislation will be prepared for the next meeting;

* Approved a resolution that authorizes bidding for the water plant chemicals; and

* Approved an ordinance ratifying an agreement originally made in 1998 with a property owner regarding an easement.

The next regular meeting of Greenville City Council will be May 2, 7:30 p.m., Council Chamber, Municipal Building.

To contact Daily Adovcate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].