Representatives of the Charlotte Downtown Development Authority and the City of Charlotte asked the Eaton County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 15 to allow four parcels on the north side of the 100 block of East Harris to be included in the downtown development area.

John Laupp, chair of the Charlotte Downtown Development Authority, described the parcels as including the former library, a vacant lot and two commercial buildings and said owners requested inclusion “for continuity within our district.” City Manager Rob Hillard attended and thanked commissioners for considering the request.

Commissioners said the financial impact to county revenue is small and the inclusion would send a “strong message” of partnership with downtown property owners. One commissioner noted that the projected county revenue impact over 30 years shown in committee materials amounted to “hundreds of dollars” and said the small immediate fiscal cost was outweighed by potential downtown improvements.

The board moved and approved the expansion at the meeting; staff said no formal resolution was required to proceed but that the change will be captured administratively unless commissioners want to exempt parcels. County staff asked the city to attend future committee meetings as the expansion is processed.

No dollar amounts for immediate revenue change were adopted at the meeting, and commissioners said they would monitor future expansion requests for larger fiscal impacts.