Council sets public‑hearing notice for reinvestment zone tied to Michael Carter development

The Northlake Town Council voted to publish a notice of intent to create a reinvestment zone for a Michael Carter development behind the storage facility on 407, a procedural step required before holding a public hearing.

Staff explained the action is the first step in a multi‑step process that the council previously negotiated with the developer. "In order to provide tax abatements, you have to create a reinvestment zone," staff told the council, noting the property had produced no taxable value previously because it was in the extraterritorial jurisdiction and agriculturally exempt.

Why it matters: councilors said the negotiated abatement is designed to bring new taxable value to the town rather than rely on existing taxable parcels. Under the plan discussed, an abatement schedule was described as a six‑year sliding scale that would step down roughly 20 percent each year so the town would receive the full local tax rate at the end of the schedule. Resident Joel McGregor raised concerns in public comment about perceived subsidies and borrowing by the town, saying, "If it costs 29.5¢ to provide services for me, it should cost 29.5¢ to provide services for everybody else." The mayor responded that the evening's debt issuances are part of prior agreements and that "none of them are being paid through property taxes."

The councilor who pulled the item for explanation, Miss Holmes, then moved approval of the notice; the motion passed unanimously. The notice triggers a public hearing at a later date for the formal creation of the reinvestment zone.