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Dickson County advances South Star TIF and 12‑year pilot for ClearBlue workforce housing; final documents to July meeting
Summary
The county moved forward with a proposed tax increment financing (TIF) for the South Star/Old Eastside corridor to fund road improvements and separately advanced a ClearBlue workforce housing pilot tied to a 228‑unit, $85 million investment with a proposed 12‑year tax incentive schedule.
Dickson County commissioners on June 23 voted to advance two economic development items — a South Star tax increment financing (TIF) to fund road construction and a proposed pilot for a ClearBlue workforce housing project — to the July regular session for fuller documentation and final action.
Economic development and county staff described the South Star TIF as a financing mechanism to construct Old Eastside Road between Highway 96 and White Bluff Road, allowing a planned neighborhood development to proceed. County staff said the city of Burns will annex the development and the TIF will use incremental tax revenues from the project to repay the road construction costs. "What we're doing is putting together a tax increment financing ... to do a TIF where the tax money from that property will pay to build the new Old Eastside Road," the chair explained.
Separately, commissioners reviewed a proposed ClearBlue workforce housing pilot for a planned development the county described as a roughly $85 million investment to build workforce housing units. Staff said the developer proposes 228 units under the low‑income housing tax credit framework and requested a 12‑year pilot schedule; under the proposed structure, the county would receive a nominal per‑unit payment initially (staff cited $200 per unit) with incremental increases during the pilot period and full taxation at the end. "$200 per unit is the tax," the county's economic developer said while explaining the revenue model.
Staff told the commission that the pilot is structured to encourage housing targeted to households earning roughly 30 to 80 percent of area median income and that the project will be evaluated under a pilot policy that awards incentive points for meeting county goals. Commissioners asked for the full economic impact plan and pilot policy in advance of the next meeting; staff said the documents would be provided prior to the July session or the item would move to August if not ready.
Commissioners expressed general support for using developer‑paid incremental revenues to build public infrastructure rather than using existing taxpayers’ funds. The county said tax revenues already generated by the parcel will continue to flow to taxing jurisdictions until the incremental value created by the development repays the infrastructure loan; thereafter the tax base reverts to full taxation. The items were advanced to the July 21 meeting for final consideration and to allow commissioners time to review the economic impact analysis and the pilot policy language.
