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Hobart RDC declares 2711 West 37th Avenue blighted to clear path for TIF-backed acquisition
Summary
The Hobart Redevelopment Commission voted March 16 to find the parcel at 2711 West 37th Ave (owned by Regional Data Management LLC) 'blighted' under the RDC statute to enable appraisal and potential acquisition as part of a wider TIF-driven redevelopment strategy.
The Hobart Redevelopment Commission on March 16 voted to determine that the parcel at 2711 West 37th Avenue, owned by Regional Data Management LLC, is blighted in an economic sense under the RDC statute, clearing a path for appraisals and potential purchase within a proposed tax-increment financing (TIF) district.
Legal counsel explained the statutory mechanism the Commission would use and read proposed motion language referencing section 19.5 of the RDC statute: the body must find that a property is blighted, unsafe, abandoned, foreclosed or structurally damaged before an RDC purchase can proceed under this code. Counsel and staff emphasized that the determination is a necessary legal step but that appraisals, title work and additional city actions — including formal TIF creation — remain required before any acquisition or use of eminent-domain authority could move forward.
Commission discussion clarified that the city is working on appraisals and that the property owner had been identified as a willing seller. Commissioners discussed funding options for acquisition if needed, including TIF borrowing mechanisms, city-provided funds, and that the council (not the RDC) holds eminent-domain authority; counsel noted the TIF would be central to the larger strategy for the corridor.
A motion to declare the property blighted and proceed with steps necessary to enable purchase was moved, seconded and approved by the Commission. Staff noted the decision is part of a larger plan to create a TIF district spanning sections of the Route 6 corridor and that the determination does not itself finalize any purchase — it permits the RDC to pursue appraisals and additional statutory steps.
The Commission also discussed how this approach has been used in other local projects (for example, Greenwood Terrace parcels) and that declaring properties blighted under the RDC statute is a tool intended to expedite redevelopment where appropriate. Next steps identified in the discussion include obtaining appraisals and ensuring updated title reports before any closing or purchase agreement is executed.
