A local manufacturer of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals has received approval to expand its facility in Columbus with a 105,000-square-foot addition that will serve primarily as warehouse space, county officials said.
The company, Applied Laboratories Inc., received a commercial building permit on Friday to start the estimated $6 million project at its property at 1600 Brian Drive, according to Bartholomew County Code Enforcement.
The permit comes around four months after the Columbus City Council granted the company a 10-year tax abatement. In May, the council voted 8-0 to approve the abatement for Applied Laboratories Inc./Moravec Realty, which owns the site, covering what was described at the time as a planned $6.5 million expansion at 1600 Brian Drive.
Moravec Realty owns the current 165,000-square-foot facility and had intended to expand the south building, with Columbus-based Dunlap Construction as the contractor, The Republic reported previously.
While the expansion is not expected to create new jobs, the company said it will retain 193 positions, company president Jeff Logston said in a memo to community development in May. Total wages at the site are about $12 million annually, with an average hourly wage of $22.44 before benefits, city officials at the time.
Officials project that the abatement is expected to save the company about $577,000 over 10 years, while generating nearly $589,000 in new property tax revenue, according to city records.
