Council discusses park concept plan and potential land acquisition strategy

White House Economic Development Council members discussed Aug. 21 the status of a proposed park concept plan and how the EDC might support complementary development near the park. Staff said a final draft of the proposed concept plan has not yet been received and that consultants are still working on phasing; council members asked whether the concept would return later this year. Staff had submitted questions to the consultant about phasing and expected additional information once consultants complete their work. Members noted that the EDC has roughly a half-million dollars available in funds and discussed whether the corporation should begin identifying or securing adjacent properties to support complementary development. One member said acquiring key parcels could give the EDC options to incentivize targeted development, while another said identifying specific strategy steps — whether to market an existing parcel or to acquire property for later development — should be an agenda item for a future work session. Council members agreed the matter could involve real-estate negotiations and that some discussions about property acquisition would likely need to occur in executive session if the EDC pursued purchase negotiations. No acquisition motion was proposed at the meeting; the discussion was exploratory and staff was directed to continue tracking opportunities and to bring recommended next steps back to the council for consideration.