Whitehall council delays Fairway Cliffs decision after residents object; public hearing set for April 15

Whitehall City Council on Tuesday moved to untable then re-table three ordinances tied to the proposed Fairway Cliffs housing development and scheduled a public hearing for April 15, after a night of sustained public comment opposing tax incentives for the project.

The action came after multiple residents and speakers urged council to reject a plan that would use a 15-year community reinvestment agreement (CRA) and a longer tax increment financing arrangement for developer incentives. Patricia Balser, a Whitehall resident who organized opposition, urged council to "deny the tax abatements and tell Fairway Cliffs to pay for their own development." Chris Davis, a longtime Fairway Boulevard homeowner, said the project "points to everything I do not want to be a part of" and questioned whether local services and the neighborhood character would be harmed.

The night included a defense of the project from Mike Shannon, the applicant's attorney, who said scheduling changes arose from an administrative notice error and warned that removing an emergency clause prematurely could increase litigation risk. "Any action to try to remove the emergency clause tonight will be further fuel for the fire for the litigation that's inevitable," Shannon said.

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