Blair council approves SJAV final plat and rezones, denies multi-family permit and lets TIF plan lapse

Mayor Mindy Rump opened the June 23 meeting and the council moved through a heavy planning agenda that reshaped a 12-acre tax lot on South 10th Street into buildable parcels for housing and commercial uses while sparking a prolonged public debate about tax increment financing and community priorities.

The council voted to adopt the final plat for the SJAV subdivision and to rezone multiple parcels along South 10th Street. Jeff Bierman, the citys Community Development Director, said staff and the Planning Commission had sequenced the actions so platting, rezoning and later redevelopment steps would align. "This just lays out where those streets would go," Bierman said in explaining the final plat, adding that Maple Drive would be constructed in the first phase and 12th Street would follow in a later phase.

Craig Aman, the project landowner and co-developer, described long-term plans for mixed uses and said his firms have acquired the property with a long-term intention to develop. "This is our home. We care deeply about it and its future," Aman said, adding that the partners plan to retain a stake in the development. Scott Reef (developer) and Gateway Development representatives outlined a phased plan that pairs multifamily housing in phase one with commercial uses in later phases.

Votes at a glance: several planning motions passed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The council adopted ordinance 2619 (future land use map change for tax lots 292 and 293), ordinance 2620 (rezoning tax lot 292 to office park), ordinance 2621 (rezoning tax lot 293 to office park), and ordinance 2622 (rezoning the SJAV subdivision to ACH/highway commercial). The final plat for the SJAV subdivision was approved by the council (motion recorded and declared to pass). The council also approved a conditional use permit allowing a contractor yard for Jenny Erickson with stipulations (privacy fence, concrete driveway and landscaping).

On the contested question of multi-family housing: the council considered a conditional use permit that would have allowed multi-family dwellings on lots 2 through 6 and an outlot (the parcels intended for apartment buildings). Planning Commission had denied that CUP 4-3; the council majority voted in favor in the council chamber but the motion failed to reach the supermajority threshold required for this type of conditional approval. The mayor and staff clarified that because the CUP failed, multi-family use is not authorized on those lots under the current action.

Public comment focused heavily on the proposed use of TIF and anticipated community impacts. Dr. Don Johnson, interim superintendent of Blair Community Schools, said the district opposes using TIF for the project because it would delay tax revenue the schools expect to receive: "Under TIF, those increased tax revenues are redirected for many years rather than benefiting the public entities that serve the residents," he told the council. Several residents urged the council to slow the process and seek clearer cost estimates for infrastructure (sewer, roads and the pump station) and the long-term fiscal effects of TIF on schools and services. Developer and pro-development speakers, including Craig Aman and representatives from Gateway Development, said local employers need housing and that new units could boost local retail sales and workforce stability.

On the TIF redevelopment resolution: Michael Sands, the citys TIF attorney, described a three-phase TIF proposal allocating roughly $2.077 million to phase one (the multifamily units), about $689,000 to phase two (commercial), and approximately $1.66 million to phase three (possible future housing expansion). Sands said the phased approach allowed negotiation of community benefits in later phases and the ability to reassess housing needs before expanding multifamily scope. After discussion and given the councils failure to adopt the CUP for multifamily in the required form, staff did not introduce resolution 2026-075 (the TIF approval) and the plan effectively died for lack of a motion; staff and developers were told the proposal could be revised and returned to a future agenda.

What comes next: the council approved the platting and rezoning steps that permit future commercial development and infrastructure work to proceed; however, the key use-right for multi-family housing on the SJAV apartment lots remains unapproved. Developers and city staff indicated they may rework the redevelopment plan and TIF term and seek community benefits (senior center, child care, or specified commercial tenants) to address public concerns before returning to the council.

Authorities referenced in the hearing included the citys zoning and planning regulations and the state statutes that govern TIF/public hearings (discussed and explained by the city's TIF attorney).