Pictured: Former Carroll Mayor Mark Beardmore outlines his opposition to the proposed Golfview development during the Sept. 23 council meeting
The Carroll City Council was unable to break a deadlock during last night’s (Monday) meeting on the future of the Golfview subdivision near the Carroll Municipal Golf Course. Following their Aug. 12 meeting, city officials put out a request for proposals on the approximately 4.5 acres on N. West Street that sits south of the 30th Street intersection. According to City Manager Aaron Kooiker, they received responsive bids from two developers.
The estimated cost to install infrastructure, which includes water, sewer, curbs, and other similar items, ranges from $1.7 million to $2 million. The council agreed Wittrock Construction’s $750,000 offer was the better of the two, but it would still leave the city to front the remaining $1.25 million for the infrastructure. However, Kooiker says the city can recoup most, if not all, of that cost by creating a new urban renewal area and utilizing tax increment financing (TIF).
According to Kooiker, Wittrock Construction’s proposal would end with 10 duplexes and condos on the northern five lots and four single-family homes on the remaining lots to the south, with a final assessed value of $9 million. He says this will generate about $100,000 in TIF revenues for the 15 years, then a recurring $50,000 per year after the TIF districts expire. Part of the reason the city identified this area for housing is due to the potential for future expansion to the west, and the city has secured a memorandum of understanding with the landowner that would grant the city the first right of refusal if the land were ever to be sold. Ward 2 Councilman Jason Atherton says they all want to see housing development. Still, for him, a nearly $280,000 per acre development cost is too high without knowing westward expansion is financially feasible.
Ward 3 Councilman Kyle Bauer says Carroll has been short on housing at all levels for years, and the land is currently netting the city zero benefits.
Former Mayor Mark Beardmore, who opposes the Golfview development, says the city should allow the market to do its work without government subsidies and stick with what has worked in recent years, like the city’s $20,000 infill housing incentive.
At-Large Councilman LaVern Dirkx argues that available lots will soon be the primary factor slowing new housing construction. Only around 30 lots are currently available in the city.
A motion from Ward 1 Councilman Tom Bordenaro to table the issue failed due to a lack of a second. A later motion from Atherton to reject both bids failed on a 3-3 vote, with Atherton, Bordenaro, and At-Large Councilwoman JJ Schreck voting yes and Dirkx, Bauer, and Ward 4 Councilwoman Carolyn Siemann voting no. A third motion from Dirkx to accept the Wittrock Construction proposal also ended in a 3-3 tie, with the same split. At this point, the development is in a tenuous state, as it has already failed to reach a majority in any direction. However, the council can vote to bring the topic back for reconsideration, but it must be done at the Oct. 14 meeting. In the meantime, the council has tentatively scheduled a closed session for Sept. 30 to discuss potential land deals for future expansions. A link to this segment of Monday’s Carroll City Council meeting is included below.
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