York County considering tax breaks for Carowinds, MSI-Forks

Carowinds and MSI-Forks, an international maker of fork lift arms, are seeking tax breaks to expand or move in York County.

The York County Council will consider on Monday fee-in-lieu tax agreements that would lower the property taxes for both businesses for the next 30 years, reducing the assessment rate from 10 percent to 6 percent.

The county also is considering a special source revenue credit that would additionally reduce MSI-Forks property tax by 25 percent for the next five years.

The proposed tax agreements are consistent with others the county has used as economic development incentives.

The Carowinds agreement covers the theme park’s new Carolina Harbor Waterpark. The projected investment, according to the agreement, is $25 million.

The new water park replaces the Thunder Road wooden roller coaster, which ended operations this summer after 29 years.

Features of the new water park include Blackbeard’s Revenge, a six-story pirate themed water ride that includes a near 70-foot vertical free fall. Children-oriented rides include Seaside Splashworks, Myrtle Turtle Beach and Kitty Hawk Cove.

Other expansions at the park have received similar fee agreements.

MSI-Forks is moving from Mount Gallant Road to an 11-acre site at 1300 Galleria Boulevard in Rock Hill. MSI has had a distribution site in Rock Hill since 1994 and a manufacturing operation since 2011. It also has a manufacturing site in São Paulo, Brazil.

MSI-Forks is a subsidiary of MS International with headquarters in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.

Since 1964, MSI-Forks has been forging a wide range of high quality fork-arms using the most advanced metallurgical processes to meet market demands.

Job growth is expected with the MSI-Forks relocation, said York County economic development officials.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 6:40 AM with the headline "York County considering tax breaks for Carowinds, MSI-Forks."