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Commission recommends Lindale Mall urban renewal area plan, including former Sears site
Summary
City planners recommended approval of a Lindale Mall urban renewal area plan that would include the former Sears building and the broader Lyndale Mall area to enable potential future redevelopment; staff said inclusion does not automatically entitle property owners to incentives.
The Cedar Rapids City Planning Commission recommended approval of an urban renewal area plan that covers Lindale Mall, including the former Sears building, city staff said at the meeting.
Scott Mather of the City Manager's Office described the proposal as similar to the Edgewood URA review and said City Council on Jan. 14 authorized support for redevelopment of the former Sears site at Lindale Mall and initiated URA proceedings on Jan. 28. Mather said staff intends to include the entire Lindale Mall area in the URA to avoid later piecemeal amendments if additional redevelopment opportunities, such as the former Hy-Vee site, come forward.
A commissioner asked whether establishing the URA means a property owner is automatically entitled to tax-increment financing or other incentives. Mather replied that a development must still come forward to City Council with a development agreement to use TIF; simply being inside an URA does not entitle a project to incentives.
No members of the public spoke on the case. A commissioner moved to recommend approval and another commissioner seconded; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. The transcript does not include a roll-call tally.
Staff outlined the process steps: consultation with taxing agencies, a City Council public hearing on Feb. 25 and subsequent ordinance readings on March 11. The commission's recommendation sends the URA plan forward for those steps.
