HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 Amended Plan_Amended Area Eligibility Report
EAST 2ND SOUTH AREA
URBAN RENEWAL ELIGIBILITY REPORT
PREPARED FOR THE
REXBURG REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
BY
ELAM & BURKE, P.A.
and
THE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
June 12, 2014
EAST 2ND SOUTH AREA
URBAN RENEWAL ELIGIBILITY REPORT
BACKGROUND
This report was authorized by the Rexburg Urban Renewal Agency a/k/a the Rexburg Redevelopment Agency (“Agency”) in April 2014, and prepared during May and June 2014. This report will
provide the technical support for the first step in amending the Amended and Restated Downtown District Redevelopment Plan (the “Plan”). That first step is a policy decision by the
Mayor and City Council to designate a specific area as deteriorated or deteriorating and to authorize preparation of an amendment to the existing Plan.
The proposed additional renewal area is identified on the map attached hereto and is generally described as the following public street rights-of-way:
1) East 2nd South Street from South 1st West Street to South 2nd East Street;
2) South Center Street from East 1st South Street to East 2nd South Street;
3) College Avenue from East 1st South Street to East 2nd South Street;
4) South 1st East Street from East 1st South Street to East 2nd South Street;
5) Princeton Court; and
6) South 2nd East from East 1st South Street to East 2nd South Street.
Idaho Code Section 50 2008(a) states:
An urban renewal project for an urban renewal area shall not be planned or initiated unless the local governing body has, by resolution, determined such area to be a deteriorated area
or a deteriorating area or a combination thereof and designated such area as appropriate for an urban renewal project.
Therefore, Step One in forming an enlarged urban renewal area is a resolution by the City Council making certain findings about the proposed additional area in the City. This resolution
would also authorize the Agency to prepare an amendment to the existing Plan to include the
additional area described above. The attached definitions of deteriorating area and urban renewal project are very pertinent to this step and are the focus of this report.
Step Two in the renewal planning process is action by the Agency to prepare an amendment to the Plan and recommend its approval to the City Council.
The City Council initiates Step Three by referring the amended plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission and setting a public hearing on the Plan. Step Three is completed by a Planning
and Zoning Commission finding that the amended urban renewal plan conforms to the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
Step Four is the adoption of a City Council ordinance approving the amended plan after a public hearing.
DISCUSSION
This report focuses on whether the public street rights-of-way as previously described and as outlined on the attached map, qualify as a deteriorating area pursuant to Idaho Code Section 50 2018(9)
and as a deteriorated area pursuant to Section 50 2903(8)(b) under virtually identical definitions. A copy of this joint definition is attached. The first statutory reference is from
the basic urban renewal statute, while the second comes from the revenue allocation law.
The area being considered in this report does not include any open land, so the area is not required to qualify under a specific portion of Idaho Code Section 50-2018(9) and a different
statutory provision, Idaho Code Section 50-2903(8)(c). This report will also discuss why the area is appropriate as an urban renewal area.
A. Present Conditions
The attached definition of deteriorating area and deteriorated area [Idaho Code §§ 50 2018(9) and 50 2903(8)(b)] lists ten different conditions that may be present in such an area,
with the tenth being the catch-all “any combination of such factors.” The presence of these conditions has been documented through inspection and review of records. The area and its
public infrastructure were evaluated, and the numbers that correspond to the applicable characteristics in the definition were placed at the appropriate locations on the attached map.