Meeker board establishes URA

MEEKER | It was standing room only for the Tuesday board of trustees meeting at Meeker Town Hall. On the agenda: two public hearings. One for a resolution to establish an urban renewal authority (URA) and the other an ordinance to create a new residential zoning classification.
“The URA is something that’s used all over the country,” said Mayor Regas Halandras. “The URA catalyst happens to be in conjunction with Better City and the Adventure Center, but in my mind it should have been done a long time ago.”
Better City representative Kelby Bosshardt explained the URA as “a means to an end.”
“It’s a tool municipalities are able to use to take on economic development projects. The URA is a mechanism whereby without creating a new tax, we can utilize existing revenue sources to fund projects.”
In order to establish a URA, municipalities must meet specific criteria set forth by state statutes, including the presence of blighted properties or neighborhood.
In a workshop prior to the public hearing, Bosshardt described the URA like a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie itself is the URA jurisdiction—the town limits—the chips are zones designated as URA projects. The establishment of the URA board, 11 members including the seven trustees, an appointed representative of the special districts, a member of the school board, a representative from the county and a citizen-at-large to be appointed by the mayor, does not mean any properties or neighborhoods have been pinpointed or targeted as URA zones.
Ken Harman, speaking for the Pioneers Medical Center board, said the hospital district is in support of the URA, and would like to “have a seat at the table” in some capacity.
“Personally, I have seen URA’s used very effectively in Idaho where I came from six and a half years ago. We had a potato processing plant close down that cut about 40 percent of our jobs,” Harmon said. The local URA was used successfully for economic development.
Questions from the public included concerns about tax consequences, to which Bosshardt responded, stating, “It only affects incremental taxes. There are no new assessments, no new line items and you won’t see anything different on your tax bill.”
Mill levies will not be affected by the URA.
Asked if other county assessors have been questioned about the use of the URA, Bosshardt said they have been told the increase in the workload is “minimal.”
One of the fears repeatedly expressed by residents has been what kind of protection will be in place if the development project fails.
“Part of the redevelopment plan sets forth requirements for participating. We recommend strict operating agreements that needs to include “go dark” provisions, so if a project fails there are consequences in place for non-performance,” Bosshardt said, adding, “Communities get in trouble when they don’t scrutinize projects. The redevelopment plan needs to be very thorough and know that the benefit is worth it.”
The attorney consulting with the establishment of the URA, Paul Benedetti, said neither the town nor the URA would be responsible for debts if the development fails. “Investors have to go through the same kinds of vetting process you would go through for a bank loan.”
The board approved the resolution.
The trustees also approved an ordinance to approve an R-2 zoning district. The ordinance does not rezone any specific properties.
The new zoning district provides for single family detached dwellings, duplexes and townhouses. It does not permit manufactured or mobile homes. The maximum density for townhouses would be 20 units per acre, or eight single family units per acre. It provides for similar setbacks to other zones, and maximum height restrictions of 35 feet.
In addition it includes requirements for a site plan review to ensure compliance and encourage quality development. Building permits will not be issued unless the site plan is approved. Any properties that would be rezoned would be subject to the normal public review process.