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Council approves MOU to advance Northpointe Drive housing project; city role limited to Chapter 100 incentives
Summary
The council authorized a memorandum of understanding with Buchanan County and the St. Joseph Chamber to support market-rate housing on county-owned Northpointe Drive property, with the city’s role focused on Chapter 100 tax-abatement tools; no developer has been selected and the county will lead any RFQ/RFP process.
The Saint Joseph City Council voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with Buchanan County and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce to publicly assist development of county-owned property at Northpointe Drive for market-rate housing.
Council members asked whether the MOU represented pre-approval of incentives or broader city entitlements. Staff and Chamber representative Natalie Hahn clarified the city’s involvement is primarily the Chapter 100 tax-abatement component; the county owns the property and would be the party to dedicate land or lead an RFQ/RFP to identify a developer. No developer has been approached and the MOU simply positions the parties to move forward if and when a developer is selected.
Why it matters: The MOU signals partnership among the county, the chamber and the city to explore incentivized development that could introduce higher-end rental housing to Northpointe Drive. Chapter 100 incentives can reduce tax burdens for qualifying projects and are a common tool to attract private development, but they do not guarantee project approval or construction without later procurement and approvals.
What’s next: If the parties decide to proceed, the county would likely issue an RFQ/RFP to solicit developers and proposals; the city’s Chapter 100 role and any requested abatements would return to council for separate consideration.
Quote: “There’s not a developer that’s been approached. There will be an RFP or RFQ put out to identify those developers.” — City staff (paraphrase of staff comment).
