Rochester takes Pepsi Challenge: Tax break keeps bottling co. in town

With a Monday night vote, Pepsi and the city of Rochester have a sweet deal.

In exchange for some hefty tax breaks, the company will keep its bottling operation – and nearly 130 jobs – in town.

The vote came after Pepsi-Cola of Rochester requested $800,000 in subsidies as it looks to build a new, expanded facility at a different site. After warning that they'd have to look beyond Rochester without the tax help, they were granted the request in a unanimous City Council vote, the Post Bulletin reports.

The paper says the company (Gillette Pepsi Cola) requested the assistance because they'd had difficulty finding suitable real estate in town in a "reasonable price range" – the site they ended up picking cost $2 million.

According to KTTC, the proposal called for all 127 employees to retain their positions.

And more jobs could be added at some point. The station says that the facility, which is slated to begin construction next month, has "potential for expansion."

KAAL reports that the 97,000 square foot facility will be based near Highways 52 and 63.