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Benton County moves forward on Government Center redevelopment, authorizes survey and blight‑study steps
Summary
County administrators outlined plans to split the Government Center parcel—selling part to a nonprofit for health and senior services and redeveloping the remainder for mixed‑use—then recommended a $9,000 survey, a grant application for a $9,000 blight study to support a TIF, and a resolution of intent to negotiate sale; the board gave general consensus to proceed.
Montgomery Headley, Benton County administrator, told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 17 that county staff will pursue a two‑part strategy for the Government Center parcel: subdivide the site to potentially sell a portion to a nonprofit for medical, dental and senior services and redevelop the remainder for mixed‑use commercial and residential purposes.
Headley said the first steps include commissioning a $9,000 property survey, applying for a grant to fund a $9,000 blight study that could support a tax‑increment financing (TIF) district, and asking Taft Law Firm to draft a resolution of intent to negotiate the sale of the subdivided parcel. He said county leaders must also address storage currently housed in the old Highway Building as part of the transition planning.
The board expressed a general consensus to move forward on all three tasks while recognizing additional steps, future costs and more detailed planning will be required before any sale or redevelopment is finalized. Project Manager Jim Oman of Contegrity Group reported separately that the Government Center construction remains on schedule and that roughly 5% of the contingency budget has been used to date because of change orders.
The administration also described early planning for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FFE). Headley said vendor Fluid Interiors will meet department heads to develop workspace standards; the county will form an employee committee to recommend breakroom furniture and decor and accelerate the FFE timeline so floor boxes for power and data can be installed to match final layouts.
What happens next: staff will commission the survey, pursue grant funding for the blight study, and ask Taft Law Firm to prepare the resolution of intent to negotiate. The board did not take a formal vote on redevelopment policy during the Feb. 17 meeting; officials described the items as the next procedural steps in a longer planning process.
