Residents protest Fairway Cliffs TIF and creation of community authority; council schedules follow-up

Dozens of residents urged the Whitehall City Council on Jan. 7 to slow or reject proposals tied to the Fairway Cliffs development, saying tax-increment financing and a new community authority would favor the developer and could be rushed through under emergency declarations.

The comments came as the council read, by title, a package of measures tied to the project — including ordinances to create a Fairway Cliffs Community Authority, set its boundaries and board selection, approve community reinvestment area (CRA) tax-exemption applications, authorize a tax-increment financing (TIF) district on Fairway Boulevard, and related infrastructure and development agreements. Council did not vote on those title-only readings at the meeting.

The issue matters to residents because, speakers said, a TIF diverts tax dollars that otherwise would fund county and local services. “This developer is a for profit developer that is being given essentially your tax dollars as free money,” said Tracy Michael, a resident who addressed the council during the public comment period. Michael and other speakers said the proposed TIF would shift revenue away from schools and services to the developer and could raise the tax burden on other property owners.

The nut of the residents’ complaint was twofold: opposition to higher-density townhomes proposed for a long-established single-family area and objection to use of emergency declarations that would, they said, remove the option for a public referendum. “Each emergency ordinance or resolution shall determine that said ordinance or resolution is necessary for the … immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare,” resident Holly Stein read from the city charter and said later: “There is nothing immediate of the Fairway Cliffs resolutions.” Stein urged council to remove emergency language so the public could pursue referendum rights if desired.

Council read several Fairway-related ordinances by title only, listed in the agenda: a repeal and replacement related to a CRA approval (Ordinance 7, 2025), creation of the Fairway Clifs Community Authority and appointments (Ordinance 8 and 9, 2025), CRA application and infrastructure agreement for Fairway Cliffs LLC (Ordinance 10, 2025), and creation of the Fairway Boulevard TIF incentive district (Ordinance 11, 2025). During the meeting a council member asked that all exhibits referenced in the petition materials be made available to council prior to next week’s committee meeting.

Speakers also raised neighborhood character and zoning concerns. One resident pointed to earlier testimony from a neighbor that opposed replacing single-family lots with townhouse clusters and questioned whether rezoning or spot zoning would be required. James K. Williams III, who said his family lives at 826 Fairway Boulevard, urged fair representation for “both sides” and asked for a workable arrangement that respects neighborhood character. Other speakers warned of potential downstream effects on county services and listed entities they said could be affected if tax increment revenues were diverted.

Council President Potter and staff did not vote on the Fairway package at the Jan. 7 meeting; the ordinances were read by title and will return for committee discussion next week. Several council members and staff referenced the agenda packet and petition exhibits; a council member asked that all referenced exhibits be provided before the next meeting so members can review them.

What happens next: the Fairway Cliffs items were read by title and are scheduled for further committee review. Residents requested full access to exhibits and urged council to avoid emergency declarations that would accelerate enactment and foreclose referendum options.