Auto Supplier Earns Tax Break for HQ

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, MI-Visteon, a former arm of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn that spun off into the second-largest private automotive supplier, has earned a tax abatement for a possible new headquarters building here. Last week, the company earned about $7.3 million worth of tax abatements from the Wayne County township, says Bryce Kelley, the township director of planning and economic development.

The abatements are for possible development of a 220-acre site near I-94 and and I-275, with about $325 million of planned new development, including new infrastructure for roads, water and other necessities.

“We’ve been hearing from Visteon officials that the land may be used for a new headquarters. However, at this point we have no site plans, so we’re not exactly sure what they have in mind, other than they’ve specified non-manufacturing operations,” Kelley tells GlobeSt.com.

The company has been mum about its future location plans. Ford Motor Co. has already made plans to locate its headquarters of the Lincoln-Mercury division in three of Visteon’s buildings after the supplier moves out.

Tammera Hallums, manager of US facilities news and public affairs for Visteon, did not return a call for this story.

The Van Buren land is a former sand and gravel quarry from the 1950s, Kelley says. A group of individual developers got together and bought the land years ago, he adds, and have held onto it. At one point, the property was going to be developed into a luxury subdivision, but that plan died, Kelley notes.

Visteon has not purchased the property yet, Kelley explains. The property owners are attempting to get the land rezoned from agriculture to office technology uses. He says he’s been told the company wants to use future buildings on the site for offices, technology and research and development space.

“We need to first revise the master plan,” Kelley says. “If that is successful, we’ll go ahead with the rezoning. Hopefully, we’ll be reviewing site plans to award building permits sometime in the spring.”

The Smith Group of Detroit is working on the site plans for Visteon, Kelley says. He says the company has promised to bring about 3,600 employees to the site.

Visteon has a global delivery system of more than 130 technical, manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 23 countries. It has 81,000 employees working in three business segments: Dynamics and Energy Conversion; Comfort, Communication and Safety; and Glass. There are 21 Visteon facilities in Southeast Michigan, with 6,500 employees.