STURGIS – A Sturgis business is expanding and the City has taken a step to help them.

During last week's meeting the Sturgis City Commission approved a resolution to establish a Commercial Rehabilitation District at 209 Jacob Street. This would include the former Sturgis Journal building and the former Sturgis Moose Lodge parking lot.

Assistant City Manager Andrew Kuk says it's basically a tax credit program. If someone is investigating in a project in the district, it will abate property taxes up to ten years.

John Carmichael of G.T. Independence says the facility will house 85 new employees and be done by July of 2020. He says they will tear it down to the structural steel and rip out the exterior and interior walls. He says they will use the entire 12,000 square feet of the building.

Carmichael says the building will also include maternity and wellness rooms for employees.

The City of Sturgis has previously used similar abatements for industrial property in the form of IFEC's and commercial property in the form of OPRA's.