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Council approves revised downtown master plan and agrees to an MOU to study a potential TIF
Summary
Council approved a revised downtown master plan after staff and consultants summarized public feedback and changes. Council also approved an MOU with Newport Downtown Development to study the feasibility of a tax increment financing (TIF) district, prompting public questions about who would pay consultants and how a future TIF would be governed.
The Newport City Council voted to approve a revised downtown master plan and separately authorized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Newport Downtown Development (NDD) to undertake a feasibility study for a potential tax increment financing (TIF) district.
A representative for the downtown plan summarized changes made after public engagement: clearer mapping of public spaces (including waterfront areas), additional language clarifying the plan’s housing focus on local workforce housing (teachers, hospital employees, manufacturing workers and the elderly), modifications to height and floor‑level depictions to address community concerns, and added language about working cooperatively with existing businesses. The presenter said the revision incorporated feedback from nearly 150 online survey respondents and a public forum attended by about 40 residents.
Council voted to approve the revised plan. Several members emphasized that plan approval is a policy step and that subsequent projects, financing, and implementation would return to the council for review.
On the MOU, council approved a scope of work under which NDD would manage a collaborative process with the mayor and council to prepare for and (if warranted) submit a TIF application. The MOU includes retaining a consultant (White & Burke was named as a likely candidate) and includes steps for public education, community forums, developer outreach, and identifying funding strategies; it is explicitly a feasibility and planning phase, not a commitment to form a TIF. The MOU was written to expire at the successful conclusion of TIF approval or on 04/01/2026, whichever comes first.
During public comment and council discussion residents raised questions about potential tax stabilization incentives and who would pay consultant fees; council members responded that contract terms and payment responsibilities would be determined in the contract and returned to the council for approval. One council member abstained from the downtown vibrancy attestation vote earlier in the meeting; the MOU vote passed by voice vote.
The council asked staff to return with the consultant contract and clearer answers about cost allocation and oversight before any final decision about a TIF would be made.
