Commission opens review of Harris Strada rezone request; staff flag general-plan, infrastructure and financing questions

The Hooper City Council discussed a developer’s rezone request for the property identified as the Harris Strada proposal and directed staff to obtain additional analysis on infrastructure, financing and general-plan compatibility before forwarding a recommendation to City Council.

Staff summary and funding question: Malcolm, a city staff member, relayed financial and infrastructure points raised by commissioners and the developer’s materials. The developer’s analysis lists a lift-station cost estimate between $2.35 million and $3.0 million; Malcolm said the CRA (community reinvestment area) analysis presented assumed the CRA could cover up to $3.0 million of the lift-station cost. Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the CRA numbers in the developer’s analysis actually included the full lift-station cost.

Concerns about public financing options and disclosure: Commissioners debated whether a CRA or a property-imposed assessment district (PID) would be preferable. One commissioner noted experience in other states with PIDs has generated mixed results and serious…