City Manager Bill Watkins is concerned that downtown is becoming an area of just “government buildings, churches and bars,” and he doesn’t think it’s living up to Columbia’s vision statement.
Watkins asked to meet with the Missourian’s Public Life reporters and a couple of editors to talk about downtown development. So, on Tuesday afternoon the reporters, our editor, Scott Swafford, and Executive Editor Tom Warhover sat down with Watkins and Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine.
Before the meeting started, St. Romaine passed out a packet of information on tax-increment financing, a hot-button issue that’s become a focal point of discussions of downtown redevelopment. Although Watkins didn’t speak to what he expects the City Council to do with two TIF applications from private developers that will be considered at its July 20 meeting, his support for the applications and the TIF program as a whole was evident. Watkins said that if the applications are approved and the developers move forward with successful projects, he wouldn’t be surprised if the city sees more applications soon.
Watkins specifically mentioned a multi-use project planned by Lynn Miller, a dentist with property in the area of Tenth and Locust streets. Watkins said that project has been stalled by a lack of financing.
Some downtown business owners have questioned whether tax-increment financing is fair because it gives some private developers an advantage. Watkins talked about how the Sasaki plan specifically mentioned developing the Tiger Hotel and that TIFs were meant to be used for “large, catalytic” projects. Watkins also emphasized that the Tiger Hotel and the mixed-use development proposed by Trittenbach Development will be subject to the “but-for” test, which asks whether the project would be feasible without public assistance.
The “rules of the game change everyday,” the city manager said, adding that TIF differs little from other public incentives, such as tax credits for historic preservation.
Watkins said that an entire TIF district encompassing all of downtown might someday be appropriate, but he doesn’t feel the community is ready for it.
Keep checking back here and at the Missourian for continued coverage of the TIF applications and other news with downtown development.
Filed under: City Council, City Government, District redevelopment, Public Hearings, Reporter's Notebook, TIF, Visioning | Tagged: Bill Watkins, City Council, Kathleen Pointer, Lynn Miller, Sasaki plan, Scott Swafford, Tenth and Locust, Tiger Hotel, Tom Warhover, Tony St. Romaine
