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Residents urge Laramie council to reject blight designation for West Side river parcel
Summary
At a public forum, neighborhood residents and conservation groups told the Laramie City Council the West Side parcel along the Laramie River is not blighted and warned that an urban renewal declaration and tax-increment financing (TIF) would chiefly benefit the current landowner and risk wildlife and floodplain impacts; the council has scheduled a blight determination vote for April 7.
Hundreds of West Side residents and conservation advocates told the Laramie City Council at a public forum that a proposed blight designation for a parcel along the Laramie River is unnecessary and could harm wildlife, worsen flooding risk and primarily benefit the landowner.
"It's not blighted according to Wyoming law and, hence, does not qualify as an urban renewal area," said Bridal Glass, who told the council the designation would amount to a tax break that is priced into a sale and would enrich the current owner rather than guarantee community benefits. Glass urged the council to vote "nay" when the matter comes before it.
City officials including City Manager Todd Beazer described the blight determination as an eligibility step, not an automatic financing decision. Beazer told the room that a blight designation would make the…
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