Grand Forks leaders dove into the nitty-gritty details of city development on Monday night, preparing to tweak policies used to bring big projects, historical restorations and other construction downtown and elsewhere.
The city's Committee of the Whole heard a lengthy presentation on a parade of local policies, from TIF and PILOT programs to the city's renaissance zone. Most are ways to discount taxes on new development-for example, the "ren zone," as it's called, includes a downtown area in which developers can apply for state and local tax breaks on their projects.
They're part of a toolbox used to build a brighter city, city leaders said-with more living space and business. In coming months, the City Council is expected to revisit and potentially change those policies to help encourage development.
"The big one that we're pointing our eyes towards is the redevelopment of the water treatment plant site," City Administrator Todd Feland said, referring to the large downtown plant near the Point Bridge-soon to be replaced by a new plant under construction on the west side of town. The site has been long viewed as a chance for a prime piece of fresh construction, and city planning for replacement could start as soon as 2019.
"That's the urgency that we have right now-there's real potential for private sector investment," Feland said.
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Besides big projects, Feland pointed out that the downtown area has plenty of historical buildings that could be refurbished under existing programs, and City Council member Sandi Marshall said there are opportunities for infill development around the city.
"Infill" development, or building or redeveloping within a city on open land or aging lots, is a darling of Gov. Doug Burgum. He's argued that new buildings built within a city are more cost-effective, because they don't require the new streets, plumbing and other infrastructure that would run up big costs at a city's edge. What's more, he's said, infill development can often boost nearby businesses.
Maybe the most famous local example is at Arbor Park, 15 S. Fourth St., where the city is concluding a land deal to sell the space for construction. The project, which is the focus of intense scrutiny and a pending lawsuit by park proponents, would bring a five-story, roughly $7.5 million condo building downtown.
"I think downtown will always be the heart and soul of the community," City Council Vice President Ken Vein said. "We need to make sure we can have that continue. It can continue to go down, or we can make it more of a focal point than ever."
Other business
• The committee offered early, 6-0 approval to a 10-year local tax incentive for J.R. Simplot's construction of a new freezer facility north of Gateway Drive, set to open in 2019. The final value of the land and the new building is estimated to come to $30 million, and the tax incentive would discount property taxes for five years, then slide the discount downward for five more. The total taxes discounted over 10 years, Feland said, would be between $2 million and $3 million.
