Monongalia County Commission approves filing to add 82-acre parcel to Harmony Grove TIF; approves UTC requisition

MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Commission on Feb. 12 voted to submit an amended tax-increment financing application to the West Virginia Department of Economic Development that would add an approximately 82-acre parcel (Tax Map 13, Parcel 28.1) to Development District No. 5, known as the Harmony Grove TIF District, and also approved Requisition 99 for the University Town Center (UTC) Economic Opportunity Development District subaccount.

The action authorizes county staff to file a boundary-amendment application so the parcel can be included in the TIF district; if approved by the state agency, the change would allow incremental property-tax revenues from that parcel to be captured by the district to help repay outstanding bonds. Commissioners also approved a requisition totaling $1,199,006.15 from the UTC subaccount for debt service.

Why it matters: The Harmony Grove TIF was created in 2021 to fund infrastructure and site work through bond financing for projects in the park. Adding the parcel would let the district capture new incremental revenue from future residential development on the tract and apply it toward repayment of bonds issued for park infrastructure.

In a public hearing before the vote, Tom Amund, bond counsel representing the commission on the Harmony Grove TIF District, summarized the proposal and the district's financial structure. "What's occurring here is very straightforward," Amund said, explaining that the parcel is largely undeveloped and that adding it to the district would allow incremental revenues from future development to be captured for bond repayment. He described the bonds as drawdown bonds and said that, under the current structure, developers submit invoices and requisitions for project costs that are then funded from the bond proceeds as needed.

Amund said the bonds were issued in 2021 for roughly $21.5 million to finance infrastructure and site development for Mountaintop Beverage and other park sites. He told commissioners that only about $600,000 of the original project funds remain to be drawn and that the district also holds a reserve fund of roughly $1,700,000 intended to be funded at the end of the capitalized-interest period. Amund described a second tranche of approximately $6.5 million that could be released if finance triggers — such as construction starting on a planned interchange or alternative bridge project — are met and lenders are satisfied.

Patrick Adrian, speaking for the developer, said the request was "just an ask from us to put this into the phase 2 of the TIF" and reiterated that the parcel's contemplated residential development would be funded separately, not with TIF proceeds. "None of the TIF funds are being used to develop this particular parcel," a commissioner clarified during the hearing; Adrian confirmed that development financing would come from other sources.

The commission voted to submit the amended TIF application to the state. According to discussion on the record, the West Virginia Department of Economic Development has up to 60 days to approve the application or request additional information; if approved, the amendment would return to the county for a final order.

Separately during the meeting commissioners approved Requisition 99 for the UTC Economic Opportunity Development District subaccount for $1,199,006.15. The county administrator noted the total amount collected for the period was $1,311,007.15 and said it was the second-highest total collected in the 99 months of requisition collections, putting collections "in the right direction" compared with last year.

Commissioners described the Harmony Grove interchange project as a continuing priority for the county and developers, with commissioners saying improved access would be important as residential density increases in the area.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution to submit amended TIF application for Harmony Grove TIF District: motion moved and seconded; commissioners voted in favor and the resolution passed. - Requisition 99 for the UTC Economic Opportunity Development District subaccount ($1,199,006.15): motion moved and seconded; commissioners voted in favor and the requisition passed.

What happens next: The county will file the TIF boundary-amendment application with the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. The state agency may approve the application, request additional material within its 60-day review window, or ask the county for clarifications; any final approval would be returned to the commission for a final order. The commissioned requisition will be applied to the UTC subaccount debt-service activity as indicated in the meeting.

Commissioners also received staff updates elsewhere on the agenda, including abandoned and dilapidated property correspondence and a planned RFP for fleet-management services, but no public opposition to the Harmony Grove amendment was recorded during the hearing.