SPRINGFIELD TWP., Mercer Co., Pa. - Land around the Grove City Outlets is prime for development, but lately there's been a big problem in allowing that development to go forward, lack of water and sewer lines.

But township officials have a proposal in mind to make that new development a reality.

Six million people visit the Grove City Outlets each year.  And all those shoppers have brought new hotels, restaurants and other businesses.  

Developers want to build new hotels and restaurants in the area along Route 208 but had to be turned away because of a lack of sewer and water lines.

Now Springfield Township is proposing a Tax Increment Financing Zone, or TIF, to help fund those upgrades. 

It's a partnership that is created between the three taxing bodies of the area, the township, the schools and the county, and they all give up a small portion of the tax collected.

Springfield Township Supervisor Rick Dillaman said, "If we take this piece of property and it's vacant right now and it has a certain amount of taxation, let's say $1,000, somebody builds on it and the taxation goes up to $5,000. The three taxing bodies will get together and say we'll take a portion of that increase and divert that into paying for infrastructure to allow for additional development to come."

So a TIF here would pay for those needed water and sewer line extensions and upgrades to the local water plant.

Township supervisors say they'll need $5-10 million dollars to make the upgrades.

Tax rates on existing businesses would stay the same only new properties would be TIF'ed.

"It brings jobs to the community. We have the outlet mall and a hotel under construction and those all bring jobs to the community so it allows young people to stay in the community and gain employment," Dillaman said.

Springfield Township supervisors will hold a meeting about the TIF proposal on Monday, March 21st at 6:30 p.m. at the township building.