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Magna CRA staff proposes $417,000 downtown activation package from $2.4M fund
Summary
Economic-development staff proposed allocating up to $417,000 from the downtown CRA fund for marketing, a digital sign, parking upgrades, a commissary kitchen contribution and event coordination to drive foot traffic and support redevelopment; board asked staff for further details on funding durability and timing.
Dan Torres, Magna’s economic-development staff member, told the Community Reinvestment Agency board on Sept. 24 that the downtown CRA holds roughly $2.4 million and presented a draft plan to spend up to $417,000 to jump-start activity in the downtown district. "All told, there's about $2,400,000 in the downtown CRA," Torres said.
The proposal breaks the $417,000 into several components: up to $10,000 for downtown branding and advertising; software and outreach tools; a digital reader sign on 8400 West and Main Street; about $200,000 for temporary downtown parking improvements (gravel/hard mix and lighting rather than permanent asphalt); and a recommended $75,000 contribution toward commissary-kitchen improvements at the Webster Center so food trucks could be based nearby. Torres also proposed staffing a temporary event coordinator to schedule and promote recurring activations such as food-truck nights and a potential farmers-style market.
Torres told the board the district’s annual tax increment has declined from an earlier peak (he cited roughly $800,000 at the district’s start) and that the downtown CRA has about four to six years remaining before the increment ends. He said staff will calculate current annual increment receipts and return with a formal budget recommendation.
Board members welcomed the activation focus but raised questions about long-term funding. One board member asked who would fund these activities after the tax-increment financing (TIF) period ends; Torres said extending the district or finding alternate funding sources would be decisions for a future board conversation. Another board member recalled a separate downtown historic plan presented by planner Matt Starley that was adopted by the planning commission but not the council; Torres said some pieces of that work could inform CRA actions but the CRA must still set its own priorities.
Torres characterized the $417,000 as a one-time package to activate downtown; he estimated ongoing marketing and software costs after implementation would be "well under $100,000 annually." The board did not vote on the proposal at the meeting; staff will return with updated increment figures and a recommended phased budget for the board to consider at a later meeting.
