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Wheeler council agrees to workshop on urban renewal feasibility after detailed developer analysis
Summary
A consultant-style presentation outlined how an urban renewal district could generate revenue for waterfront and downtown projects; council agreed to a public workshop and formation of an advisory committee to study feasibility and grant options.
Mike Anderson presented a multi-page feasibility study proposing a Wheeler Urban Renewal Plan and urged the council to form an advisory committee to gather data, solicit public input and assess potential projects. Anderson outlined how tax increment financing would divert growth in assessed value to an urban renewal agency and showed scenarios in which an urban renewal district could generate substantially larger tax increment dollars over six years compared with doing nothing.
Councilors praised Anderson’s work but said the city needs more public education before creating an agency with any authority. “The best way to determine if urban renewal is right for your city is to engage in preliminary feasibility studies,” Anderson said, summarizing his approach and urging the council to consider an advisory committee for fact-finding rather than immediate adoption of a plan. Several councilors told Anderson they wanted a workshop to walk through the mechanics, impacts on taxing districts and grant options before moving forward.
Council members said they would ask staff to prepare ordinances and a public workshop that include third‑party technical assistance and outreach to other towns that recently used urban renewal. City staff noted state grants and technical assistance programs could help with the front-end work; Anderson pointed to a past DLCD grant earned by a nearby city as an example of funding for planning assistance. The council asked for clearer cost estimates and a timeline for forming an advisory group and directed staff to schedule a detailed workshop as the next step.
The council did not adopt an urban renewal plan or create an agency at the meeting; it agreed by consensus to pursue an exploratory workshop and to develop ordinance language for an advisory committee for review at a future meeting. The council emphasized that any advisory body would have no authority to adopt projects without subsequent council approvals.
