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Committee advances review of Wall Road development proposal, flags water and TIF issues
Summary
Economic Development Director Tom Morris and a Highmark Development representative outlined a mixed residential proposal on Wall Road; the committee moved the item to committee of the whole to allow developer renderings, departmental capacity reviews and potential pre-annexation negotiations. Water service and TIF funding were central concerns.
Economic Development Director Tom Morris presented a potential mixed-housing development on the south side of Wall Road and told the Economic Development & Planning Committee that council would need to decide on annexation, zoning and whether to use tax-increment financing to fund off-site infrastructure.
"My second law of development is momentum, right? When it's going, it's easier to keep momentum going," Morris said as he framed the city's approach to encouraging investment. He listed three critical choices for council: annex the parcel, set appropriate zoning (likely a Planned Unit Development), and determine whether to divert future tax increments to pay for necessary public infrastructure.
Matt Schmall, representing Highmark Development, described a mix of single-family detached homes, housing targeted to residents 55 and older, and modern apartment-style units. City Engineer Glenn Davis and Morris identified water service as the primary infrastructure challenge and explained that while developers provide on-site utilities, off-site water extensions would be a public infrastructure expense that could be financed through a TIF arrangement.
Morris described the city's existing impact fee approach, saying the city has an impact fee of $6,400 per house and that "$2,000 for every house will go to fix traffic problems caused by that house." He and staff emphasized that traffic and wastewater studies and departmental worksheets will inform any decision about capacity and mitigation.
Morris said the city typically negotiates a pre-annexation agreement to lock terms before annexation occurs: "We typically lock everybody down with a pre annexation agreement where we define all the terms we want to right from the start so there are no surprises." Following discussion, Council Member Mike Reese moved to advance the Wall Road item to the committee of the whole for further review; the motion carried unanimously.
The committee directed staff to arrange developer renderings and to circulate departmental impact worksheets under Rule 23 so public-safety, service and school capacity can be assessed before council considers a pre-annexation agreement.
