April 27, 2008
City Council agenda for Monday
The agenda for the April 28th City Council meeting has a number of rezoning requests and other items relevant to Shockoe, Manchester, and areas along the canal.
Ord. No. 2007-318 (Patron: President Pantele, By Request) - To
conditionally rezone *** 1720 East Cary Street from the M-1 Light
Industrial District to the B-5 Central Business District (Conditional) ***
Ord. No. 2008-93 (Patron: Mayor Wilder) - To declare a public necessity
for and to authorize the acquisition *** of *** 815 and 904 Decatur Street
for the purpose of building a temporary court facility and two permanent
parking lots as part of the Manchester Courthouse Renovation and
Expansion Project.
Ord. No. 2008-94 (Patron: President Pantele, By Request) - To rezone ***
110, 112 and 114 South 15th Street from the M-1 Light Industrial District to
the B-6 Mixed Use Business District.
Ord. No. 2008-95 (Patron: President Pantele, By Request) - To
conditionally rezone *** 901, 927, and 930 Perry Street, 901 through 905
and 925 Porter Street, and 208 through 210 West 9th Street from the R-53
Multifamily Residential District to the R-63 Multifamily Urban Residential
(Conditional) District ***.
Ord. No. 2008-101 (Patron: President Pantele, By Request) - To amend
*** the Code ***, concerning the imposition of the special assessment for
the Riverfront Developed Canal Properties Special Service and
Assessment Overlay District, to change the special assessment tax rate
from seven and one half cents ($0.075) to five and one half cents ($0.055)
per $100 of assessed value.
Why lower it for Canal Walk properties? Did the tax accomplish what it was supposed to do in the first place?
Why are we letting certain property owners off the hook for commitments they made when they received special status in the first place?
Don’t forget the millions that the City loaned to developers to build the Canal Walk.
I would like to see the tax continue at its current rate, with more of the revenue going to environmental improvements and greenway connections to the riverfront area.
If tax rates are to be lowered then we need to re-examine the City’s relationship with the Riverfront Development Corporation and other corporate riverfront partners.
http://www.richmondgov.com/forms/docs/online/downtown/Chapter3_DtownMngmnt.pdf
Riverfront Overlay. This overlay district, managed by the Richmond
Riverfront Corporation, is intended to develop marketing tools and
programs, as well as technical assistance and services, to support business
development and recruitment. It is also intended to provide for marketing
and promotion of the canal and riverfront area.
Thanks,
Scott
Got this back from Pantele:
That paper is being stricken.
The special assessment on the riverfront properties is a voluntary additional tax for the marketing and maintenance of the properties within the boundaries of the district. Because a number of properties have come on line, with large assessed values, at some point the revenue generated by the properties in the district will far exceed what is needed for maintenance and the like. The property owners decided to leave things as they are for now.
On another front, it is likely that a new special tax district could be formed extending from the current riverfront district to the east and into Henrico County in order to pay for amenities and maintenance of the riverfront to the east.