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Wayne council establishes commercial rehabilitation district for 31720 Van Born
Summary
The Wayne City Council voted unanimously Feb. 18 to establish a commercial rehabilitation district for the former Willow Creek assisted-living property at 31720 Van Born, freezing its taxable value while the property owner pursues redevelopment applications.
The Wayne City Council unanimously voted Feb. 18 to establish a commercial rehabilitation district for the property at 31720 Van Born, the former Willow Creek assisted-living facility.
The designation freezes the property's taxable value at its current level for a period of years while the owner pursues redevelopment, city staff said. Council members approved establishment of the district and instructed staff and the petitioner on next steps.
Community Development Director Lori Goen explained that the district is an incentive intended “to get people to develop blighted or, undesirable properties within a community.” She said the council’s action establishes the district; the petitioner must next file an application to be considered for the taxable-value freeze. Goen said the tax freeze would be revoked if the owner does not develop the property.
Goen described likely redevelopment options discussed with the petitioner, including indoor storage and previously proposed apartments. She said apartments would have required an impractical number of units to be financially viable in the existing building and that indoor storage was a less intrusive alternative that better complements nearby new homes being built by a developer called Infinity.
Goen and council members clarified that the building footprint will not change and that the next steps include the petitioner’s application for the tax freeze, a council decision on the number of years for the freeze, and a required planning-commission review because the work will exceed 30 percent of the building’s value.
Councilmember Brock moved to approve the district; Councilmember Darwish seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
The council did not set the length of any tax freeze at the meeting; that will be decided after the petitioner’s formal application and staff review. Goen also told council members that parking will be sufficient for the proposed indoor storage use and that the façade and interior work are the expected scope of renovations.
