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Beatrice council declares Redevelopment Area 13 blighted and adopts redevelopment plan
Summary
The city council unanimously declared a neighborhood around Nineteenth and Scott Street as blighted and substandard under Nebraska law and adopted a redevelopment plan that would enable tax-increment financing and infrastructure improvements; the designation leaves the city under the 35% statutory cap.
The Beatrice City Council unanimously declared Redevelopment Area 13 to be blighted and substandard and adopted a redevelopment plan for the area on June 30, 2025, voting 8-0 on two resolutions to do so under Nebraska law.
The council adopted Resolution No. 75 86 to declare the Nineteenth and Scott Street vicinity — which includes the Good Samaritan Center and nearby residential parcels — as blighted and substandard under Nebraska Revised Statutes §18-2103, and then adopted Resolution No. 75 87 to approve a redevelopment plan for the same area.
Why it matters: the findings and plan are the first steps required for the city to use tax-increment financing (TIF) and other public/private funding tools in that area. City staff said the designation is necessary before TIF or related redevelopment tools can be applied.
City staff summarized the study prepared by consultant Hannah Keelan, explaining the statutory tests used for the two determinations. For the substandard finding the consultant reported that two of the statutory substandard criteria had a strong presence and two had a reasonable presence (examples cited include dilapidation, age of buildings and inadequate public utilities). For the blight finding, the study found four of the blight criteria had a strong presence, four had a reasonable presence and three had little or no presence; the blight checklist includes elements such as unsanitary or unsafe conditions, diversity of ownership patterns, and the age of structures (the consultant noted structures over 40 years can meet the statutory definition).
The redevelopment plan the council adopted lays out standard tools the city has used before: public–private partnerships, use of TIF and other funding sources to promote development or repair infrastructure, replacement or repair of deteriorated water, sanitary and storm mains, and sidewalk improvements. Staff emphasized the plan is general in scope and does not adopt specific projects.
A council member asked about the city’s remaining capacity to designate blighted area under the state limit. Staff said that with the addition of Area 13 the city would be at 34.52% of the community designated as blighted or substandard, leaving approximately 30 acres available under the state’s 35% cap before the city would need to remove or reconfigure earlier designations.
The council adopted both resolutions by voice vote, 8-0, and closed the public hearing on the matter. Staff said the redevelopment plan is in the council packet and will guide future project-specific actions.
No immediate redevelopment projects were approved as part of these resolutions; the items establish the statutory framework required to pursue TIF or other redevelopment investments in the future.
