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Board hears why EDA lease rules limit where Midwest Food Bank could expand
Summary
Members discussed constraints at the enterprise center tied to an EDA grant that restricts non-incubator commercial tenants until the agreement lapses (staff said that term runs until around end of 2026), limiting immediate city-owned options for Midwest Food Bank expansion.
Staff told the board that an existing Economic Development Administration (EDA) agreement limits allowable tenants at the enterprise center to incubator participants and that bringing in a commercial tenant not enrolled in the incubator could violate those terms.
"The way the agreement was written, that enterprise center is under basically those rules. You can only have enterprise center clients," the economic development director noted while explaining the EDA constraints. He added that the agreement likely runs through the end of 2026 and that any change would require an official release from the EDA or waiting until the agreement expires.
Members responded that the city has limited inventory of large industrial spaces and that, while vacant land or redevelopment could be options, the enterprise center's current restrictions mean staff and the board must pursue other avenues to help organizations like Midwest Food Bank find suitable space in the near term.
