Joint committee backs creation of Viva White Oak development district, sets $420 million TIF cap

A Montgomery County joint committee on government operations and economic development on a motion advanced a resolution to create the Viva White Oak Development District and a special taxing district that would enable up to $420,000,000 in tax‑increment financing (TIF) bonds to fund horizontal site work, remediation and infrastructure supporting a planned town center.

The resolution cleared the committee unanimously after two amendments were adopted. The first, offered by Council President Fannie Gonzalez, requires a local park for the project to be constructed before issuance of the final use and occupancy certificate for the townhouse development proposed in the APF application and sets an expectation that the park will be financed and delivered "no later than the second bond issuance," language that staff said would be clarified to refer to the Series B timing in the fiscal tables. Gonzalez argued the park’s cost should not fall to Montgomery County taxpayers, saying, "These developers should not get a break." A friendly revision from Vice President Balcom narrowed the amendment to prioritize evaluating whether financing the park through the district is feasible while retaining the planning board’s timing condition.

The committee…