Scott County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a nine-year tax abatement for the Internet firm Shutterfly Inc., which plans to expand in a $60 million facility in Shakopee.
Construction on the new plant at the Dean Lakes business park is slated to begin next month, with occupancy expected next summer.
The commissioners' vote was another key step in luring the fast-growing Internet company to the south metro community, a process that included a recent visit from Gov. Mark Dayton and others to the firm's California headquarters.
Shutterfly plans to create 329 full-time jobs in Shakopee over the next two to five years with an average hourly wage of $18.78. In addition, just over 200 people would work on a seasonal basis, according to city documents.
Gretchen Sloan, a spokeswoman for Shutterfly, said in a statement, "We are pleased with the support from city and state officials and look forward to finalizing our plans so we can break ground and bring hundreds of jobs to Shakopee."
The county's action is part of a package of economic incentives totaling $3 million from the city, county and state for the maker of digital photo and paper products. State loans and grants totaling $1.4 million are still in the approval process, however.
"We are close to the end of the process," said Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke. "This is just extraordinary news for Shakopee, Scott County and the greater [Minneapolis-St. Paul] area."
The county tax abatements are valued at $551,159 to $734,878, and an agreement to allow the Redwood City, Calif.-based firm to use the county's fiber-optic infrastructure to defray data transfer costs was also approved.