Developers propose large London-area TIRZ; county moves discussion into executive session

Moses Mastagasi, a developer working with the city, described a proposed Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) covering roughly 4,400 acres of the London area and told the commissioners the zone would support sewer, drainage and higher-density residential and commercial development.

"The London area is very unique. It's 87 square miles, mostly farm land in the area," Mastagasi said during a court briefing, which the county and city intend to use to coordinate potential annexations and infrastructure funding.

Mastagasi said the proposal is intended to permit annexation and targeted infrastructure investments that would allow higher-density housing and commercial development near the London Independent School District. He described three "shovel-ready" projects inside the hypothetical zone, including Mirabella, a planned amenity-focused community of about 1,200 homes, and a commercial corridor the developers say would support neighborhood services.

Why it matters: County staff and the presenter said the TIRZ would differ from downtown and North Beach TIRZs because most of the land is undeveloped and currently on septic. The county would participate in infrastructure costs intended to move properties from septic systems to city sewer and build roads and drainage; Mastagasi said the initial projects could generate substantial taxable value over time.

Key points from the briefing

- Scope and rationale: Mastagasi described a beginning zone focused on a corridor of roughly 4,400 acres around the school and church to enable sewer tie-ins and city-standard streets and drainage.

- Shovel-ready projects: The presenter identified Mirabella (about 1,200 planned homes), a London-proper residential component and a commercial district corridor as early projects that could use TIRZ financing.

- Annexation and timing: City and county staff said city voluntary annexation is part of the process. The city will consider its own interlocal agreement; county approval would follow. Mastagasi described a multi-stage process in which individual projects inside the zone would later seek TIRZ project approval.

Court action: commissioners voted unanimously to move the item into executive session for negotiations and legal review. The court stated it would require unanimity to continue discussions outside public session and asked staff and counsel to complete legal review.

What the county says it gets: proponents told the court the county's participation would support sewer and drainage that remove long-term maintenance burdens associated with septic systems and low-density county roads. Mastagasi said the shovel-ready projects alone could represent very large future taxable value and argued that the county would gain tax base and reduced infrastructure burden compared with an alternative where the same acreage developed under county, septic-based standards.

Next steps

The court took the matter under advisement and moved to address details in executive session; the county and city staff will continue negotiations over an interlocal agreement. City staff told the court the city expected to consider the zone at an upcoming council meeting and that county approval would be required before project-level approvals could proceed.

Ending

Commissioners did not vote on a final interlocal agreement at the public session. Instead, the court voted unanimously to take the TIRZ discussion into executive session for legal and negotiation work; the court expects staff to return with negotiated interlocal language and any required legal briefings.