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Amos Weighs in on Tesla Permits

Amos Weighs in on Tesla Permits

Hank Amos, President and CEO of Tucson Realty & Trust Co. was quoted the Arizona Daily Star’s coverage of building permits issued to Tesla.

Tesla Motors has received a $3 billion building permit for construction of a battery assembly plant in Tucson.

The permit is for a one-story building of up to 5 million square feet in size at an address “to be determined.” It was issued by the city of Tucson development services department.

Tucson is one of several sites that Tesla is considering for a “gigafactory” to make batteries for its electric vehicles. The company has said the factory would employ about 6,500 people. Cities in California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas also are finalists.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild sent the permit and a brief memo to Tesla officials Wednesday.

“Attached is a City of Tucson permit, ready for your signature,” the memo reads. “Just letting you know the City of Tucson is ready to proceed as soon as you are.”

During a recent visit to Tucson, Tesla officials expressed concern that the project might get delayed due to permitting red tape, Roths-child said.

“This is a concrete sign that, not only can we act expeditiously, but we’re ready,” Rothschild said.

The mayor would not disclose how many site visits Tesla has made to Tucson.

Tesla officials could not be reached for comment but have said previously that the company wants to pick one or two sites this year and begin battery production at one of them by 2017.

Issuing the permit was a good move for Tucson, said John Boyd Jr., principal of the location-consulting company The Boyd Co. Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey.

“It’s largely window dressing, but it’s a smart thing to do,” he said. “One of the few things the city’s leadership can do is to make it clear that zoning and permits won’t be an obstacle.”

Strategically, Boyd said, the gesture affords Tesla the ability to move forward without holding public hearings for zoning permits and the company can maintain anonymity if multiple sites are considered.

continue reading Gabriel Rico’s article in the Arizona Daily Star

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