Council creates Easton Village TIF district, terminates Spruce Willy Rockway district

Morgantown City Council voted to establish a tax increment financing (TIF) district for the Easton Village project and to terminate the overlapping Spruce Willy Rockway TIF district, actions the council said are required by state law before redeveloping the site.

City bond counsel explained that adopting a TIF ordinance sets a base assessed value (July 1, 2025, in this case) so future increases in property tax revenue within the district—the “increment”—can be identified and, if council later elects, used under a project plan to fund public infrastructure. Legal counsel and bond counsel emphasized that adoption of a district alone does not obligate the city to issue debt; any bond authorization, developer agreement or debt issuance would require separate council actions.

The council approved the ordinance establishing the Easton Village TIF on a roll call vote (recorded as 5-0). In parallel, the council approved termination of the Spruce Willy Rockway TIF, to take effect June 30, and staff reported projects in the area (such as work on the Richwood wall) being progressed so existing increment funds can be spent before the termination date.

Public comment before the council included a lengthy neighborhood objection from a Woodburn resident, who said the TIF process lacked transparency and expressed concern that the project partner negotiations did not secure sufficient affordable housing commitments. Council members said they will continue to press developers for community benefits and transparency as subsequent agreements and potential debt-issuance items return to council.

What this does and does not do: The TIF creation sets an increment base and preserves the city’s ability to use increment funds under a future project plan; it does not itself bind the city to debt or to a developer.