General Motors Linden plant update

[balthazar]

From my local paper via the Associated Press:

>>>A 24-year old tax dispute between the city and GM has ended, clearing the way for plans to sell & redevelop the company's Route 1 and 9 property where auto production ended two years ago. The two sides announced during Tuesday's City Council meeting that they have reached a settlement in which the city will pay the Detroit-based automaker $4.8 million to settle tax appeals for 2005, 2006 & 2007. The city has been in litigation with General Motors over its municipal tax assessment ever since the company appealed its 1983, 1984 & 1985 assessments. Over the years, there have been court rulings for both sides, which often led to further appeals.

Meanwhile, if the 104-acre site, appraised at between $40 million and $60 million, sells for more than $40 million, the city will be able to reduce it's payment to GM by $800,000.

Linden's Mayor Gerbounka said that the city benefits in that if Linden had lost the tax appeals from 1983 on, the city could have been looking at a payment of $20 million to $40 million to the auto giant.

...GM project manager Fred Zehnder, North American Operations, Worldwide Real Estate, said the agreement is fair and equitable and that it will allow GM to move forward to sell the site.

GM spokewoman Janine Freehan said it was too early to know what type of environmental cleanup would be needed at the plant.

Linden opened in 1937, initially building Buicks, Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. During World War II, the plant was converted to build Wildcat fighter airplanes for the Navy. The planes were tested across the highway at the Linden Airport. Car were assembled at the plant from after the war until 1991. The following year the plant was retooled to produce trucks and sport utility vehicles. A white Chevrolet Blazer was the last vehicle to roll off the line in April 2005.<<<

So 2 plants local to me have closed recently: Ford's Edison Assembly was torn down in '06, and GM's Linden plant will probably be leveled by '08. I used to thunder right by the Linden plant in my '64 Catalina about 10 years ago, on my way to or from Uncle Charlie's or Cheeque's go-go bar up that way, roll down the window and yell out "834L88280 still on active duty!! Sadly, 88280 has been relegated to parts car status, unless I had excessive disposable income to redo the entire vehicle, which would not make economic sense, just sentimetal sense.

Edited July 22, 2007 by balthazar

[Delta Force79]

This saddens me...my 1978 Ninety Eight was built in Linden, while my Delta I believe was built in Lansing.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

They used to build Toronados there at one time. That is sad indeed.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Ahhhh Linden, such memories, good and bad. There was a time when Linden, Wilmington, Baltimore, Doraville and Spring Hill were under my control for what I do for GM. Scary huh? Well this one trip I was making to Linden, I had to stay a week for a project I was working on for GM. I decided to take an Astro van to the Linden plant in the middle of a snowstorm. On my way there I started seeing signs that said "Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers, Rahway State prison in the area. I made sure my doors were locked. :AH-HA_wink: During my weeks stay at the Woodbridge Hilton, one morning as I was getting dressed for work, I heard a lot on noise outside my window, as I looked out there were maybe 50 FBI agents running around rounding up people who looked Middle Eastern, this was one day after the World Trade Center was bombed, the 1st time in the underground parking garage, which I could see smoking from the Linden plant.

Wilmington and Linden were sister plants for a long time, as we made the same car, the infamous L Car. Yes the wonderful Chevy Corsica & Beretta, ahhh the memories. Someday I just may have to write a book, how about this for a title, "GM An Isiders View"?

Edited July 23, 2007 by Pontiac Custom-S