Business Resources

Chaska has several business incentive programs tailored to attract businesses to the community and to help fill any financial gap with expansion. City officials work closely with county, regional, state, and federal colleagues on all components of the approval process. 

Many companies, like Beckman Coulter, UnitedHealth Group, Stream Data, and Bailiwick, have successfully partnered with the City of Chaska and other government entities. Over the past decade, we have received well over $10 million dollars in grants to help facilitate economic development activities. 

Based on the specific needs of each business, City staff works as an advocate to put together a business assistance incentive package to ensure success. Some of the most popular programs include: 

City Incentives

  • Downtown Building Improvement Program Guidelines and Application (PDF) 
  • Tax Increment Financing: Used for brownfield or redevelopment projects, the City is able to use the new taxes that are generated to help off-set site development expenditures such as grading, utilities, demolition, environmental remediation, etc.
  • Tax Abatement: The City offers new businesses/expansion tax abatement for a total of three times the annual total of new property taxes generated to help off-set site preparation costs. Depending on the assessed value of the property, incentive amounts could range from $50,000 to $3,000,000 over the course of 20 years.
  • Chaska Electric Energy Retrofit Program: For properties within its electric territory, the City of Chaska offers lighting retrofit, variable frequency drives, and custom retrofit incentive programs to businesses to promote energy efficiency. Rebate amounts can be as high as $150,000.
  • Chaska Electric Energy New Construction Program: For properties within its electric territory, the City of Chaska offers lighting rebates for high efficiency lighting, variable frequency drives, and custom new construction incentive programs to businesses to promote energy efficiency. Rebate amounts can be as high as $150,000.

County Programs

  • Carver County Business Loan Fund--- Carver County offers up to $500,000 in low interest loans. The intent of the initiative is to provide attractive capital to successful and financially strong Carver County businesses helping them grow and expand their investment and work force. Eligible expenses include construction and equipment costs.

State Programs

  • Minnesota Investment Fund: This incentive offers up to $1,000,000 in low interest and forgivable loans. The intent of the initiative is to provide attractive capital to successful and financially strong businesses helping them grow and expand their investment and work force. Eligible expenses include construction and equipment costs.
  • Innovative Business Development and Infrastructure Grant: A state-sponsored program that provides up to $500,000 in reimbursable public infrastructure costs for private development. Eligible expenses include: stormwater systems, utility connections, parking and street improvements.
  • Job Skills Training: This program provides up to $400,000 in grants for the training and/or retraining of workers in conjunction with an accredited educational institution. This program does require a match from the company which is generally covered by the company paying the employees to attend the training.  
  • Job Creation Fund: This program provides financial incentives to new and expanding businesses that meet certain job creation and capital investment targets.

Federal Programs

  • Foreign Trade Zone: The City of Chaska is located in one of the few defined foreign trade zones in the State. This incentive allows for duty elimination, inverted tariff relief, and ad valorem tax exemptions on the imported and exported goods that are manufactured here.