Presentation outlines Neighborhood Empowerment Zone incentives, application issues and district boundaries

City staff gave a presentation on the Neighborhood Empowerment Zone (NEZ/NAZ) program designed to encourage infill residential and commercial redevelopment inside defined districts.

The staff presenter said the program encourages private investment with permit‑fee waivers and property tax abatements and noted the city updated guidance in 2023 though the ordinance dates to 2013. Eligible applicants include owner‑occupants, single‑family rehab, multifamily, mixed‑use and commercial projects; staff said industrial uses were removed in the 2023 update.

On thresholds and benefits, staff explained eligible rehabilitation must meet a minimum improvement threshold (about 20% of improvement value) and that NEZ designations may provide abatements for residential projects (commonly five years) and for commercial and multifamily projects (potentially up to ten years). The presenter also laid out the program’s fee structure: $100 for residential applications and $1,000 for multifamily or commercial projects.

Participants raised implementation questions: multiple attendees reported the application form contained contradictory instructions about whether applicants could obtain building permits before NEZ approval. Staff said the department will clarify the form and noted an expedited fee waiver and an internal workaround that allows building plan review to start while counsel considers approval, so applicants need not wait months to begin work.

Staff said the city now has active NEZ applications in multiple districts (two in District 2, two in District 8 and one in District 4), mostly new residential construction and some multifamily projects, and asked the group for suggestions to make the application more user friendly and to provide sample forms or a simple qualification checklist.