A presentation of plans for a proposed development at the northeast corner of 24th Avenue and Industrial Road, along with continued discussion of the 2009 budget, were on the agenda for Wednesday morning’s city work session.
Tom Thoreson, a representative of D.J. Christie, Inc., began the presentation with a map detailing the features of the proposed development. The 39-acre site would be anchored by a Lowe’s home improvement store and will include four outlots for additional retail businesses. Industrial Road would be extended through property that now belongs to the Peak family; the family plans to move two homes on the west side of the property to the east side.
To finance the project, Christie has applied for the creation of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district and a Transportation Development District (TDD). In addition, the approximately 18 acres of the development scheduled for retail will have to become a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which will require rezoning from R-1 to C-2. “We’ve been working with Matt Zimmerman’s office and have asked the city to amend its comprehensive plan to make sure there are no conflicts,” F. Chase Simmons said. “If the property can’t be rezoned, the project can’t continue.”
The rezoning and PUD are scheduled for the planning commission’s September meeting.
The rest of the 39-acre site is planned for patio-style homes. There is not yet a schedule for the development of the residential portion of the property.
Establishment of a TIF district requires the property to be designated as an area of economic blight. “We’re not going by Webster’s definition of blight, with bums living under the bridge,” Thoreson said.
“Economic blight can deal with structures, gas lines, lack of infrastructure,” Simmons said. “With economic blight, the city envisions the potential for land and decides what the best use of the land could be.”
According to the application, the TIF will consist of real property increment and the city’s unrestricted sales tax, and the TDD calls for a self-imposed one percent sales tax to apply to the district only. The TIF will be for a term of 20 years; the TDD will extend for 22 years.
The project is scheduled in two phases. Phase I is expected to cost $6.4 million, and will include costs of land purchase and site work.
TIF/TDD special obligation bonds will fund $5.336 million of this phase. “These are not guaranteed by the city,” Simmons said. “They are funded solely by revenues and are based on economic performance. If the numbers don’t meet projections, it’s the bond-holders and the developers who are on the hook. There is no risk to the city.”
The other $1.063 million of Phase I costs will be funded by temporary notes from the city, to be repaid with revenues from Phase II. “The 20 percent of Phase I costs to be funded by short-term notes will be secured through the project and will be based on revenues,” Simmons said.
“Why Emporia?” Commissioner Jeff Longbine asked the developers at the close of the presentation.
“Because it is underserved,” Dave Christie said. “How many people are going to Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City to shop? There is a documented $15 million shrinkage from this zip code because of people shopping elsewhere.” Christie also said that a business such as Lowe’s would give credibility to the city. “As it is now, businesses won’t look at Emporia until the city is on the radar screen. Lowe’s would put Emporia on the radar screen.”
At its Sept. 3 meeting the city will set a public hearing for the development. The hearing is to take place Oct. 15.
Wednesday’s discussion also included a continued review of the 2009 general fund budget due to the loss of projected revenue from the county-wide sales tax that was to start Jan. 1. Legislative action will be necessary before the sales tax can be collected; as a result, revenues will be delayed until April 1 or July 1.
The commission decided to assume revenues could be collected starting April 1, according to City Manager Matt Zimmerman. Those three months of lost revenue will amount to about $650,000. Based on these figures, the commission decided to reduce the final budget by $650,000 by reducing expenses.
A total of $415,000 for repairs to Fire Station 2 will be paid for with temporary bonds instead of sales tax revenues, and additional expenditures were cut by eliminating several projects from the bottom of the Capital Improvement Project list.
“If we don’t start to see those revenues until July, the commission will have to go back and amend some things, Zimmerman said.
In a separate action session after the meeting, the commission passed an ordinance approving the 2009 budget.
In other business, commissioners
• Discussed removing the old playground equipment at Peter Pan Park and offering it to the Historical Society for display purposes. City employee Bill Hanson has inspected the old equipment and determined it does not meet current safety standards and could be a liability issue.
• Decided not to replace the 2009 KLINK project — street maintenance from West Highway 50 to Industrial — with repairs on Commercial from 6th Avenue to 12th Avenue. According to interim city engineer Mike Novak, repairs on Highway 50 should take a higher priority because of the volume of truck traffic in that area.
• Continued discussion on proposed paint designs for the interior of W. L. White Auditorium.
• Listened to a proposal from the human rights commission for the city to declare Emporia an inclusive community at one of their September meetings.
• Discussed a proposal for the city to become HUD certified for Fair Housing.
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Posted by 93shocarguy (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What about the empty land at the OTHER end of Industrial. The whole area where Big Lots was at sits empty. Why not look at this area that is already zoned for the use they want, AND it would clean up an existing eye sore
Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 3 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They claimed that wasn't big enough for them. I agree, it would be great if they scaled back and cleaned the old Big Lots property up. They would just have to knock the building down and go on. It's already leveled and paved and lines run to it for water etc. That would be too easy, I guess.
Posted by eiggohp (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can not stress enough.....BEWARE of anything that Christie is trying to promote!!! It may "sound" good, but investigate, investigate, investigate this BEFORE making any decisions!
He went to a convention in LasVegas and made the statement that selling Junction City commissioners into "biting" on his development was, "Like taking candy from a baby."...don't let the Emporia city fathers make the same mistake!!!
Posted by orlando (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 5:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If this project is a go, and the new bridge on 18th out to the aquatic center is a go, the bridge on Graphic Arts isn't finished yet, and the spaghetti bowl is still unfinished, what kind of mess will the traffic be out there? There will have to be street work done on 24th if a Lowe's should go in there.
Anyway, why do we have to have that new 18th st bridge before graphic arts bridge is done? A lot of people coming into the schools from the west take 18th ave. These bridges never seem to be finished in a timely manner, and the 18th ave one probably wouldn't be done in time for swim season next year. it needs to be started as soon as the pool closes for the season, in the fall.
Posted by booker5m (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I been hearing that is progress. I dont see that if the business comes in and we lose 2 or 3 other business by Lowes opening. We will more empty buildings. We need jobs ! For as people shopping out of town. Most folks go out of town just to get out of town do something different.It wont matter if we get the Lowes folks will still shop out of town! We dont need Lowes!
Posted by eiggohp (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 6:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I really doubt if Lowe's will come....it is just a pipe-dream that Christie is "trying" to sell to the city commissioners. He tried to tell Junction City that there was 14 restaurants, 17 retail establishments, 8 theaters, and even a water park wanting to come....never materialized when it got right down to it....thank heavens!! Everything there is struggling enough just to try to keep up with the tax increase that Christie helped establish.
When Lowe's take their survey/study, I don't think the Emporia will qualify anyway......but really would hate to have the other businesses put out because of "box stores".
Posted by 93shocarguy (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I still say, lets fill up some of our empty buildings we have in town. I realize the area where Big Lots used to sit isn't big enought for the whole developement they are wanting to bring in, but it is big enough for Lowes, and the 2 restaraunts they are talking about building could go in the old Pizza Hut and Popeye's chicken. Plus Emporia seems to have plenty of houses on the market. Let's try to use some of what we've already go instead of building new.
I think IF Lowes does come in, it would hurt Sotherlands, Mark II, Bluestem, and True Value. Would bringing in Lowes really create jobs or would we end up with even more people unemployed because this store hurt others that are already here.
Doesn't seem to me like this is better for the city of Emporia at all, it appears the only people this would possibly help are the developers.
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