The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2003-09-29city council minutesSPECIAL (REGULAR) MEETING SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 12:00 P.M. The Meeting was called to order by Mayor Nancolas. Mark Hilty, Attorney for the City of Caldwell, 1303 12 Ave, Nampa presented the following items for the agenda: 1. Public Hearing regarding the proposed amendments to the Urban Renewal Agency Plan including the reallocation area 2. Consider Resolution No. 91 -03, declaring those portions to be included in the reallocation area by the amended plan as deteriorated or deteriorating. 3. Consider Ordinance No. 2480, Bill No. 27, approving the amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan. MOVED by Callsen, SECONDED by Blacker to approve the agenda as described by the City Attorney. Roll call vote. Those voting yes: Callsen, Hopper, Dakan, Wells, and Blacker. Those voting no: none. Absent and not voting: Ozuna MOTION CARRIED The Mayor declared himself ineligible to participate and turned the gavel over to Council President Hopper. The Roll of the City Council was called with the following members present: Hopper, Dakan, Wells, Blacker, and Callsen. Absent: Ozuna NEW BUSINESS (PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE AMENDMENTS TO THE URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY PLAN) Mark Hilty, City Attorney, 1303 12 Ave., Nampa stated that he is appearing as both City Attorney and legal council for the Urban Renewal Agency. There are two primary areas where the original 1998 plan is being amended. This came before Council in December of 2002 for the amendment of the Urban Renewal Project Area The plan was not amended at that time nor was the reallocation area amended. The project area differs from the reallocation area. The project area is the area within the city where the Urban Renewal Agency can engage in projects. The allocation area is the area within that project area where the Urban Renewal Agency can engage in reallocation, tax increment funding. In this case, we are amending the reallocation area to be the same exact size as the project area The second area of amendment has to do with the Indian Creek day - lighting project. There will be verbiage added to the Urban Renewal Plan that describes it in general terms and authorizes the Urban Renewal Agency to engage in a project of improving that area and day - lighting Indian Creek. Idaho law requires that before this item comes to the Council, it has to be reviewed by the Urban Renewal Agency. In this case, the Urban Renewal Agency initiated these amendments. They adopted a resolution that, for their purposes, adopts the amendments and recommends to this body that they likewise be adopted. The second body that has been involved is the Planning and Zoning Commission. Idaho law requires that the amendments to any Urban Renewal Plan have to be considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission for compliance with the Comprehensive Plan. At a regularly scheduled meeting on September 10, 2003, the Planning and Zoning Commission determined that the amendments to the plan are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and they passed a resolution that will become part of the record. There are three statutes that bear on notice of this Public Hearing. Notice of this meeting was published in the Idaho Press Tribune more than thirty days prior to today's date on August 28, 2003. All of the taxing districts affected by these amendments were also notified by certified mail, which are requirements of Idaho Code 50- 2906-3. The Council will have an affidavit of publication as well as an affidavit of mailing as part of the record with the ordinance. Idaho Code 50 -2008 requires publication of the notice of this meeting and we have complied with that. Idaho Code 67 -2343 requires notice at least 24 hours prior to any Special City Council meeting. The published notice also meets that requirement. Hilty submitted as an exhibit the Legal Notice that was published, the Affidavit of Publication, the Affidavit of Mailing to the relative taxing districts, the proposed Resolution, the proposed Ordinance, and the proposed Ordinance Summary. Councilman Wells asked Hilty if he was aware of any feedback from the letters that were sent out. Hilty stated that he is not aware of any. Garret Nancolas, Vice - Chairman of the East Urban Renewal Agency, 1914 Santa Clara Drive, commented that the intent of this is to create a funding mechanism whereby the Indian Creek Project can be funded through the Army Corps of Engineers. Then the East Urban Renewal Agency will be able to purchase properties and meet the match requirements that they have to in order to get the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with this project. The intent is to revitalize downtown and create an open space where Indian Creek becomes the preeminent amenity downtown and to change the current situation downtown from a state of slow progression to a state of vigorous reinvestment. The theory is that if we develop Indian Creek and turn it into a beautiful amenity with walking paths and greenery, that we would be able to encourage reinvestment in downtown. There has been an EDA grant that was given to the City to conduct a thorough investigation of downtown and how this project would affect investment in downtown. The preliminary figures show that if Indian Creek were developed, there would be $30 to $50 million worth of private investment over the next 5 to 10 years. The Urban Renewal Agency has visited the blocks downtown and have done a careful investigation through the Economic Adjustment Strategy Grant. It was also identified that the downtown core does have areas of blight, disinvestments, and old buildings that need to be revitalized. There are also sidewalks that are in a hazardous condition. The Urban Renewal Agency feels that downtown does meet the requirements of state code in order to qualify for a revenue allocation area and a project area for urban renewal. Nancolas addressed Councilman Wells' earlier question and stated that there are two areas that are to be considered today. One is downtown and the other is the project by the YMCA. It is evident that without the YMCA and Indian Creek there will be no increment. If the City doesn't do something downtown, the chances of $30 to $50 million worth of investment are slim to none. The East Urban Renewal District doesn't believe that this is harmful to any of the taxing districts that are affected by this. With the investment of Urban Renewal the rest of the city will also blossom and grow at a much faster pace than it normally would, thereby increasing the revenues to the areas that are affected through Urban Renewal. Nancolas stated that he has had personal conversations with the County Commissioner, Matt Beebe on the East Urban Renewal Agency and Beebe is very supportive and excited about the aspects of downtown revitalization and the YMCA. Chuck Randolph and Tim Rosendick from the Caldwell School District have voiced their support for this amendment. The County and the School District are the two main areas that would be affected by this. Nancolas noted that he has not heard any negative response from any entity in regards to this proposed change. He has spoken with President Hoover from Albertson College. The College of Idaho has gone on record publicly in their Board meeting as supporting the Indian Creek Project and the revenue allocation area change. Nancolas commented that he is also personally in support of this both as the Mayor of Caldwell and as the Vice - Chairman of the East Urban Renewal Agency. President Hopper noted that Councilwoman Ozuna arrived, making it afull Council. E1Jay Waite, Chairman of the Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency, 1910 E. Homedale Road, stated that the information used to determine the financial growth potential for downtown Caldwell was prepared and presented to him by the urban planners who were working under the direction of Dennis Cannon. He made a special request to Cannon to look at what had happened in other communities. Waite stated that the estimates he had projected where in the neighborhood of $27 to $30 million. He believes that the number presented in the plan for increment return is somewhat conservative. The Urban Renewal Plan originally included an indoor pool for this community and the agency had hoped that it would find a location in the area that it had originally determined as appropriate. As it turns out, the community support for the location across the street from Caldwell High School was overwhelming and required that the YMCA be placed there. The support from the community for an indoor swimming pool was overwhelming and left the Renewal Agency with funds dedicated to that project but the project was no longer in their revenue allocation area. It was necessary that they revise, amend, and include that area in the plan. At this time the Council and the East Urban Renewal Agency have taken steps to meet and take care of the proper legal action to amend the revenue allocation boundary. That is important because we can spend increment in an area that is included in the revenue allocation area. Otherwise, bonding is the only method available to us under the Urban Renewal law. We believe that we will have the opportunity now to exercise all of those financing mechanisms that are available to Urban Renewal with the addition of these two areas into the increment financing area of the Urban Renewal Plan. Councilman Blacker asked how much money out of Urban Renewal was allocated previously for the swimming pool. Waite stated that they had a budget that was approximately $12 million for a recreational facility, which would include a swimming pool. It was allocated at the very end of the Urban Renewal life after they had completed other projects and knew that that money was available. The Urban Renewal Agency has committed $5 million to this project, which is less than 40% of what was originally planned. Councilman Callsen asked if the $30 to $50 million investment that Waite had mentioned would be in an urban renewal area. Callsen stated that that, in turn, would build the Urban Renewal budget from the taxes. Waite stated that that increment is calculated in what would be returned to the agency to help fund this project. This project is not funded up front for the purchase of the properties downtown. The increment that would grow from that over the life remaining until 2014 would fund that at those levels. MOVED by Dakan, SECONDED by Blacker to close the public hearing. Roll call vote. Those voting yes: Dakan, Wells, Blacker, Callsen, Hopper, and Ozuna. Those voting no: none. Absent and not voting: none. MOTION CARRIED (CONSIDER RESOLUTION NO. 91-03) President Hopper read the resolution in its entirety: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CALDWELL, IDAHO DETERMINING CERTAIN PROPERTY DESCRIBED BELOW TO BE A DETERIORATED AREA OR A DETERIORATING AREA OR A COMBINATION THEREOF AND DESIGNATING SUCH AREA AS APPROPRIATE FOR AN URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT. �iat�2 til,JL:.rfii•7:i 30o —_ — .'{'.•.r.M1'^tir .'{�lhi�''r o{'� -. .`.7',� ..!OV,y�: iyF^4'Jr.';G.�•?r?' '.Ik}�r = :k4'�i! 5, � S,, �c =: w��+;+R°•I.}t ?+1r�7�.x�'+S. ..��.��-. �:;� ' �' � ..:- 4�iiry?+E*',:�:a.]�ill ' �k�? ��•}+ is+4Nt�� ti `'p•Y�tiS`J�Fc�J�iFje�'r ..: ..'�l' { . '� � . .• •� 'aL*•r: ti e:o-f:�..'c: :5'. _ o; o-: ,:, r ': r_ �. }.�I� �uc•xr: • � .:.�{rk'to-5' 37Ha�, PX' ��rf '.�:''�Ct w ?d*. -' r Lj k.. +�- �r+e�r..,ao-p •''i �yy, -. °,a r`- S T` +he?yhnf lts'd,:v i'7r'r:'RS "my; ;rj m ri[}u�; 9 •rq'�• ' ! , ��ti• , +'�••F''�s�': yi ' 'jyr;.;.J� };Y'�� . ' }n- �,i•.'S•1F h.1 �, "RY'. ' b' f> r�'.r r 'i�'� ! `x- V� If• F - I `� `w yti}� tia'.r.Mkr° �-• �, x�• ... ^r. _ � � �� -r ; ,�-_4 x_ �lrw,•uv x r'}+"�r Ak`�5+ -} .n�K '� � ; �7-Fk! a�v�.. - "r. �..� ?„+? vr,.r rrtxdri•r�•;-;a�cu� d�r.ns�k:cssra•� �'`��•4'4i ^� � ,�d'x:�ard�m!��r�Cga : ty *.t y�`� �ro- - x!fiYM �: � rgt7a :^�Pt�,F.rw �k.4�', rr+' _ v;¢ p i'.a a�+f,�aln,�a: ravc5tie+�:��•�= cC*c'+k `:,I+x.*�c�r �i•-i� �?E*��'��cCf�a�l+o<4w�N,i�, �it - ie 5 s K•rt.?'4eF'++o`�Y2ac �?'•x .T.uY"UC?naR. v 7a: >'.xr +. ':- ra. �+.ii .':y ` ,I• . i• �'f ■ k A r ■ I 1 � j� I