Hurricane council backs ad hoc committee to map zones, plan incentives

Hurricane City Council on Tuesday heard a presentation from Todd Brightwell of the Southern Utah Economic Alliance on local tools—such as tax-increment financing, overlay zones and GIS mapping—to prepare the city for business recruitment and expansion, and council members agreed to form an ad hoc committee to identify candidate areas and return recommendations within roughly one month.

Brightwell, who described the Alliance as a regional economic development group recently expanded to cover five counties, told the council the objective is to “act before being acted upon” by potential developers and to provide clear, consistent criteria for incentives or approvals. He said a GIS map showing land use, ownership and infrastructure could help staff and developers quickly assess site readiness and infrastructure gaps. “The purpose [is] to build a shared understanding of the tools and options…this is not about trying to make final decisions today,” Brightwell said.

The council’s discussion centered on three related preparation steps: (1) creating overlay zones or pre‑defined areas where staff can apply consistent approval criteria; (2) building a GIS mapping tool for the city (Brightwell proposed Hurricane as a pilot and said Utah Tech and county GIS resources would support the work); and (3) deciding whether to use tax-increment financing (TIF)/redevelopment-area structures as a way to fund infrastructure investments. Brightwell noted these tools are often paired with performance-based incentives tied to job counts, capital investment and compliance milestones.

Mayor (unnamed in the transcript) urged the council to organize before developers “stand before the council to ask,” and proposed a two-step approach: first designate priority areas, then, if needed, hire a consultant to shape specific TIF or incentive packages. “Are you guys good if we maybe come back within the month to identify some areas and then identify with the areas what kind of businesses we allow and what the parameters would be?” the mayor asked; council members responded with general support and several volunteered to serve on the ad hoc group.

Speakers raised common concerns: avoid “moving goal posts” that deter investment; set transparent, performance-based incentives so the city can walk away from offers that don’t meet the community’s return threshold; and balance downtown character with potential redevelopment. Council members cited past deals — Walmart and other retail projects — as examples where quicker, clearer internal processes helped close projects faster.

Brightwell described examples from elsewhere: an Eagle Mountain overlay that let staff sign off on projects meeting preset criteria (he cited Tyson Foods’ 500,000‑square‑foot facility as an example of a company that valued that certainty), and a model where initial public infrastructure is installed up front and incentives are tied to performance so cities can recoup or withhold benefits if benchmarks aren’t met.

Council members asked staff to identify infrastructure status in candidate corridors (water, power, roads) and to involve planning, public works and utilities on the committee. Brightwell said the Alliance will help assemble data and the proposed GIS pilot would go beyond a flat map to layers showing parcels, ownership and infrastructure availability.

The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or authorize a financing district during the meeting. Instead, it directed that an ad hoc economic-development committee be formed to identify candidate overlay zones and priority areas and report back to council within about one month; the city may then interview consultants or proceed to more detailed planning if the committee recommends it. Brightwell and city staff said the committee’s work would inform whether a consultant and detailed studies (for example, economic-impact analyses for proposed TIF/CRA areas) are needed.

Next steps noted at the meeting: city staff will convene the committee (with council volunteers and staff representation from planning, public works, power and water); the Alliance will pursue the proposed GIS pilot; and the council will consider consultant proposals and a possible update to the city’s economic development/master plan if the committee recommends it.