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Janesville, WI. Economic Development Strategy

Welcome to the City of Janesville's economic development website. Our goal is to provide developers, site selectors, businesses considering relocation to Janesville, existing companies and start-ups access to local and state data that will assist them in making locational decisions. We are committed to assisting business growth by using the time a business needs to interact with us as efficiently as possible. In other words, aid a business in their “Speed to Market.”

Fully improved, industrial, built-to-suit, “shovel ready” certified sites are available to companies looking to begin construction as soon as possible. Summary plans are also available for "Virtual Build-To-Suit" buildings which provide ideas and cost estimates for specific size industrial buildings. Expedited building permit time frames range from three to four weeks depending on the completeness of plans and if they are brought to City staff in a timely manner. A "conceptual meeting" with city staff is recommended before architectural plans have been developed. This can be arranged through the Economic Development Office. Although the City of Janesville adheres to the International Building Code, staff can often provide input and creative solutions to significantly speed up processing times.

Steve Doran, Quote, Menards, redevelopment, staff

The number one priority for Janesville's City Council and Administration is assisting business development. Please let us know how we can improve this site or other areas on the Contact Us page. Thank you for visiting Janesville!

Land

Fully improved, industrial build-to-suit sites all within minutes of Interstates I-39/I-90 are available within Janesville's State Highway 11 Business Park. The Rock County Development Alliance Available Properties page provide a virtual tour of build-to-suit industrial buildings and available certified "shovel ready" industrial sites throughout Rock County.

An interactive searchable map of both public and privately held available commercial and industrial properties throughout Janesville is available on our Properties tab. Click here for instructions to optimize your search experience using the Location One Information System (LOIS).

Incentives

The City of Janesville actively uses Tax Increment Financing (TIF) with the intention of improving the local economy. Since January 2015, the City Council has approved fifty-one (51) TIF agreements, creating 16.5 million square feet of new and redeveloped space; $316 million in new value; and 1,424 new jobs. Incentives are based on two operating guidelines: (1) for new construction either on a green field site or the expansion of an existing facility with the resulting new tax increment or (2) for the leasing of existing manufacturing or distribution space. Note: TIF incentive proposals are project specific and will include additional considerations involving the number and quality of jobs created, jobs retained, type of business etc. Additionally, all TIF incentive proposals are subject to final approval by the City Council during an open session public meeting.

Foreign Trade Zone #41 includes Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha Counties. A foreign trade zone is a geographical area located near, but outside a US Customs port of entry that allows certain types of goods to be imported into the zone without going through formal customs procedures. Import duties are incurred once the goods leave the zone for US consumption.

Transportation

One-day semi delivery access to such destinations as the Twin Cities, Des Moines, Lansing, Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne and over 30 million people in the Midwest. Janesville is a transportation nexus between I/39 and I/90, US Highways 51 and 14, State Highways 11 and 26.

City	Miles	Direction	Drive Time
Chicago, IL	110	SE	1 hr. 50 min.
Milwaukee, WI	75	NE	1 hr. 25 min.
Madison, WI	40	N	0 hr. 45 min.
Rockford, IL	30	S	0 hr. 40 min.
Minneapolis, MN	300	NW	4 hr. 50min.
Green Bay, WI	170	NE	3 hr. 10 min.
Detroit, MI	390	E	6 hr. 05 min.
Indianapolis, IN	290	SE	4 hr. 35 min.
St. Louis, MO	325	SW	5 hr. 05 min.
Des Moines, IA	315	W	5 hr 00 min.

Labor

The labor shed for Janesville extends significantly beyond the borders of Rock County. Since Janesville's location is a congruence of Interstates I-39 and I-90, US Highways 14 and 51 and State Highways 11 and 26, our laborshed extends to Madison; south of Rockford, IL; west to almost the Iowa state line; and east to Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha. Although the statistics below are local in scope, a one-hour commute time is defined by the above parameters. Primary industry participation of workforce is in manufacturing and distribution companies (35%). More information about employment and the labor market in Rock County can be found by visiting the Jobs In Rock County website.

2021 Inflow Snip (Primary Jobs)

The Janesville and Milton School districts have a high school graduation rate +90%. Post-secondary educational opportunities include customized labor training at Blackhawk Technical College, associates degrees available at University of Wisconsin-Rock County, bachelors degrees at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, and graduate degrees and certificates at University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee.

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