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Committee reviews proposals to update 26-year-old downtown plan and prepare TIFF application
Summary
Town staff and committee members compared two consultant bids to update a downtown revitalization plan required for a new tax-increment financing (TIFF) district; the group set a one-week follow-up Zoom to choose a recommended consultant for the council.
A local downtown committee reviewed two consultant proposals to update the town's downtown plan so the municipality can pursue a new tax-increment financing (TIFF) district.
Anthony Wilson, the town manager, told the committee the current downtown plan dates to about 2000 and "you've got to have a downtown revitalization plan and you got to have one that's not 26 years old" before the state will approve a downtown TIFF application. He said the town council let the previous TIFF district expire in March to pursue a new, larger district that could capture post-revaluation property value and channel the increment into downtown reinvestment.
Wilson presented two vendor proposals. Northstar Planning offered a phased work plan that includes an inventory, public outreach, draft and council adoption and said it could complete the work by the end of this year. Committee members praised Northstar's downtown planning experience and phased approach. A second proposal, from Lorishelle Consulting (led by Reagan Lorelle), emphasized TIFF expertise and a quicker delivery timeline; the committee was told the two bids were "very comparable" in cost, with Northstar quoted at about $25,000 and the other listed in the materials as "235" (the committee agreed the figure needs confirmation).
Members discussed timing and said they did not want to rush the choice. The group agreed to review the written proposals and hold a follow-up Zoom meeting Monday at 4:00 p.m. to compare notes; if the committee reaches a recommendation it would forward that recommendation to the town council, which next meets on July 6.
The meeting included procedural notes about who would manage the TIFF application process: Wilson said the town must apply to the state to create a TIFF district and that a current, up-to-date downtown plan is the first box the application requires. Members also noted town planning staff (Don) will be a resource during the process, though she has other ongoing land-use work.
Next steps: committee members will re-review both proposals, provide feedback by the agreed Zoom the following week, and expect to bring a recommendation to the town council if consensus is reached.
