COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A public hearing on the establishment of a Neighborhood Improvement Authority on the northeast side of Coldwater was held during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Neighborhood Services Director and City Assessor Deb Sikorski said Monday’s public hearing was the third step in the process. Still to come would be the adoption of an ordinance for the creation of the N.I.A., establishing and appointing a N.I.A. Board, preparing a development and financing plan and adopting the plan.
The proposed N.I.A. would encompass vacant land, Thompson Boulevard, Michael Drive, Carol Court and Judy Court. Sikorski said in her letter to the Council that the neighborhood consists of 145 taxable parcels with an average taxable value of $41,280.
She said potential projects for this development area could include the Thompson Boulevard extension, the repaving of streets within the district, the establishment of a new park and the installation of new sidewalks and walking trails.
But Jon Houtz, who lives on Michael Drive, expressed his doubts about the benefit of a N.I.A. because it’s a brand new neighborhood.
Officials say the authority can be used by communities in order to assist with economic development and redevelopment in targeted residential neighborhoods. People who live in that district would not see their taxes go up.
After Monday’s public hearing, the City Council will have to wait 60 days as required by the Act before they can pass an ordinance.
