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Hubbard council to pursue reduced urban renewal boundary, directs staff to draft March resolution
Summary
Council members signaled consensus to start a reduced urban renewal district (excluding Bear Creek) and directed staff to draft a resolution for the March meeting; officials said the smaller boundary can be expanded later and paired with LIDs and grant applications to fund sidewalks and street work.
Chair Eric opened a goal‑setting session by asking council to review survey results and set priorities for the coming fiscal year. Staff told the council they had prepared two urban renewal district (URD) boundary options — the original map and a reduced version — and asked for direction about which to pursue.
Staff said the smaller boundary excludes the Bear Creek area and would still give the city room to expand the URD later. “If we go with a smaller boundary, we can always expand; we cannot shrink a boundary once it’s set,” the staff member told the council and added she would prepare a resolution for the March meeting and that she must submit materials to the Marion County assessor’s office.
Council members repeatedly favored starting with the reduced footprint. One councilor said the difference in property‑tax impact during the first 10 years appeared modest but would grow over 30 years; another said starting small preserves future flexibility while limiting immediate fiscal tradeoffs for taxpayers. A councilor worried about ceding too much future revenue if the URD were drawn too large, while others said excluding Bear Creek makes sense until development there is certain.
The council also discussed pairing an URD with limited improvement districts (LIDs) and state grants to pay for streets, sidewalks and stormwater work. A presenter/engineer briefed council on the grant program and LID mechanics, noting the small‑city allotment is competitive and typically values full‑package projects (sidewalks, gutters and stormwater) for better scoring.
Staff said the grid model for the larger URD shows multi‑decade revenue increases but cautioned that timing depends on development; the staff member recommended starting with the smaller boundary now and drafting a resolution for formal consideration. Council members gave a verbal nod to that approach and staff said she will return with a draft resolution in March.
Next steps: staff will draft the URD resolution for the March council meeting, provide the assessor’s materials and continue discussions with ODOT and other external partners about coordinated improvements along Highway 99E and downtown corridors.
