“We remain extremely disappointed,” Dickstein said.
NEW TODAY: GM could start construction on Brookville plant as early as October
“This is particularly disappointing because: 1. We were the originally selected site, and 2. It is a significant investment in our community missed,” Dickstein said.
She said GM had aggressive time lines for construction, and the property dispute with Union threatened that timing.
Union City Manager John Applegate has disputed Dayton’s statements and noted an annexation agreement between Union and Dayton that said the land could be used only for “necessary airport operations,” like the extension of a runway.
Mayor Nan Whaley and Dickstein spoke to the media on Sept. 6 to say that they city had lost out on up to 700 jobs that paid an average of $75,000 annually.
Dickstein said GM planned for the plant to grow to 1 million square feet and 600 to 700 workers.
“They were ready to move forward,” she said.
MORE: Dayton blames neighboring city for loss of $250M investment
Dayton had planned to include in its incentives a prioritization of the jobs for Dayton residents, “workforce development opportunities that our citizens won’t get now,” Dickstein said.
She acknowledged that Dayton residents still could get jobs at the GM plant.
“In the spirit of growing our region’s economy, we are glad they didn’t leave the region,” Dickstein said.
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