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Central College presents 'Imagine More' redevelopment; council directs staff to prepare URP
Summary
Central College President Mark Putnam outlined the "Imagine More" concept proposing up to 1,350 rental units, roughly 120,000 sq ft of commercial land and about $345 million in private investment. The Pella City Council directed city staff to prepare an Urban Renewal Plan for formal consideration.
Central College President Mark Putnam presented the college's "Imagine More" redevelopment concept to the Pella City Council on June 2, describing a plan that could allow as many as 1,350 rental housing units, approximately 120,000 square feet of commercial land and roughly $345 million in private investment.
City Administrator Mike Nardini explained that an Urban Renewal Plan (URP) provides a framework for identifying public infrastructure projects and for making economic-development incentives available on a case-by-case basis. Nardini told the council that URPs can offer flexibility for housing incentives and that staff would prepare the documentation necessary for formal consideration of a URP encompassing portions of Central College's campus.
Putnam said the college does not intend to act as a developer but would make campus land available to private developers under the plan. Council discussion focused on the potential for redeveloping tax-exempt college property into taxable uses and on how such a change could affect the city's tax increment financing (TIF) strategy.
The council did not adopt any ordinance or incentive package at the meeting; instead, members directed staff to proceed with preparing the URP materials for future formal consideration. The direction preserves council discretion over whether to approve incentives, the scope of any URP, and which projects (if any) would receive support.
Background: Central College previously analyzed student housing needs and proposed redevelopment as part of a broader plan to address Pella's rental housing and commercial development needs. The URP concept discussed is intended to promote economic development and address blight remediation through private redevelopment on college-owned land.
