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Council rejects revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge

Posted at 6:40 pm January 16, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed plan from Nov. 29, 2018.

Most of Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in this proposed revised plan from Nov. 29, 2018.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday narrowly rejected a revised plan that would have allowed four national retailers to build stores at Main Street Oak Ridge.

The Council had unanimously approved a revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, subject to certain conditions, in December. That was the first of two readings.

But Council rejected the plan in a 4-3 vote in the second and final reading on Monday.

The rejection hinged on concerns that included the closure of an access road to the 58-acre site, the movement of mixed-use areas to a future phase along Wilson Street, and questions about whether there are other site plan options and whether the development would or should establish a “city center.” People who rejected the revised plan or asked Council to reject it said they support the development and want continued negotiations with RealtyLink, the developer. But it wasn’t immediately clear this week if that will happen.

Those who had supported the revised plan, on the other hand, warned that rejecting it could affect funding for Oak Ridge and Anderson County governments and school systems by diminishing expected sales and property tax revenues, possibly in the range of several hundred thousand dollars. They worried about the impact on the city’s retail community, property tax values, and new housing developments. They called the project a “once in a generation” opportunity and said it could be a few decades before another similar proposal emerges.

It’s not clear what will happen next or if there is any solution that will be acceptable to both RealtyLink and the planning commissioners and City Council members who opposed the revised plan. On Tuesday, three people involved in the project, including RealtyLink, said there is no other design, no “plan B.”

“We’ve worked for six months to get to where we are,” said Neil Wilson, principal of RealtyLink in Greenville, South Carolina. “We didn’t get what we wanted, and they didn’t get what they wanted.”

He said the four national tenants were notified Tuesday that Council rejected the proposed changes to the planned unit development for Main Street Oak Ridge. The potential tenants will be notified if something changes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Chuck Hope, City of Oak Ridge, Crosland Southeast, Derrick Hammond, Ellen Smith, Jane Shelton, JCPenney, Jim Dodson, Kelly Callison, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Mark Watson, mixed use, Neil Wilson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, PetSmart, planned unit development, property tax revenues, Ray Evans, RealtyLink, revised plan, Rick Chinn, roundabout, Rutgers Avenue, sales tax, shopping center, Stephen Whitson, Warren Gooch, Wilson Street, Zabrina Minor Gregg

County Commission to consider OR mall TIF, District 4 appointment

Posted at 12:21 pm October 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Village Area Rendering

 

The Anderson County Commission will consider extending the tax increment financing agreement for the former Oak Ridge Mall from 20 years to 30 on Monday morning.

The Anderson County Operations Committee recommended approving the 10-year TIF extension during a meeting last week. The TIF would use new property tax revenues generated at the mall site and 120 surrounding acres included in the TIF area to help pay for the redevelopment. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Anderson County, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County EMS, Anderson County Operations Committee, appointment, appointments, Briceville, Chris Phillips, District 4, Lake City, Nathan Sweet, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, Rosedale, tax increment financing, TIF, TIF extension, Tim Isbel, Zach Bate

Anderson committee to consider tax agreement for OR mall redevelopment

Posted at 3:45 pm October 12, 2014
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Village Area Rendering

 

It’s already been approved by the Oak Ridge City Council, and a 10-year extension of the $13 million tax agreement that could be used to help redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall will next be considered by Anderson County officials.

The agreement will be considered by the Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday evening. It could then be considered by the full Anderson County Commission later this month.

Like Oak Ridge officials, Anderson County officials will consider extending the tax agreement for the 59-acre project by 10 years—from 20 years to 30.

Officials have described the proposed redevelopment, named Main Street Oak Ridge, as an $80 million project that could fill a “hole in the heart” of Oak Ridge, bring new retail life to the city’s downtown, and build a lasting legacy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Business, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Operations Committee, Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, AVFD, Jeff Bagwell, loans, Main Street—Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Mall, Office of Aging, property tax revenues, redevelopment, Rodney Reeder, senior citizen center, tax agreement, tax increment financing, TIF

State comptroller approves $13 million agreement for Oak Ridge Mall

Posted at 4:43 pm February 8, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Mall

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved the use of a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall. The L-shaped mall is pictured at center above.

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall.

The approval was announced in a Wednesday letter from Tennessee Comptroller Justin P. Wilson to Nashville law firm Bradley, Arant, Boult, and Cummings, which is working with Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that wants to redevelop the mostly empty mall.

The 20-year tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement, would use new property tax revenues generated at the 59-acre site to help pay for development costs, possibly including tearing down the existing space between the two remaining anchor stores, JCPenney and Belk, as well as for replacing aging infrastructure and building new roads. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Belk, Bradley Arant Boult and Cummings, Clint Brewer, comptroller, Crosland Southeast, ECD, IDB, JCPenney, Justin P. Wilson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, redevelopment, retail sales, sales tax revenues, tax financing, tax increment, tax increment financing, Tennessee Comptroller, Tennessee Economic and Community Development, TIF, Tim Sittema

Anderson Commission unanimously approves Oak Ridge Mall TIF, project goes to state

Posted at 7:29 pm November 18, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The Anderson County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used to help the $85 million redevelopment of the mostly empty Oak Ridge Mall.

CLINTON—The Anderson County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used to help the $85 million redevelopment of the mostly empty Oak Ridge Mall.

The vote was 15-0. Anderson County Commissioner Mark Alderson was absent.

“I am extremely optimistic about this,” said Anderson County Commission Vice Chair Robin Biloski, an Oak Ridge resident.

It’s the fifth unanimous or near-unanimous vote on the project in less than a month. The tax increment financing, or TIF, had also been approved with no opposition, but with one abstention, by the Oak Ridge City Council, and it had also been endorsed with no opposition by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and Anderson County budget and operations committees. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Crosland Southeast, dead mall, development costs, IDB, James L. Murphy, jobs, mall, Mark Alderson, marketing, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, restaurants, retail, retailers, Robin Biloski, tax increment financing, tenants, TIF, Tim Sittema

Letter: Mall nullification proposal would make TIF loan impossible to finance

Posted at 1:33 pm November 16, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Mall TIF Public Hearing

James Murphy, center, is a Nashville attorney representing Oak Ridge Mall redeveloper Crosland Southeast. Also pictured during a recent public hearing are Ray Evans, right, Oak Ridge economic development consultant; and Tim Sittema, a Crosland Southeast partner.

Note: This Nov. 14 e-mail from an attorney representing mall redeveloper Crosland Southeast was written in response to a nullification proposal submitted by Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn to Anderson County officials.

I represent Crosland in connection with the proposed Economic Impact Plan for the Redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall Economic Development Area (the “Economic Impact Plan”). The Economic Impact Plan has been approved by the Industrial Development Board of the City of Oak Ridge (the “IDB”) and the City Council for the City of Oak Ridge, and it is on the agenda for the Nov. 18 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Anderson County. I would like to respond to Ms. Baughn’s suggestion that the tax increment financing (“TIF”) funding for the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall be nullified if at least 65 percent of the planned new retail square footage is not completed by December 2018.

As has been explained by Ray Evans in the meetings of the Anderson County Operations Committee and the Budget Committee, the proposed redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall requires a public-private partnership. After carefully reviewing the project’s pro forma, the city officials who have been involved in negotiating the incentives with Crosland were convinced that there was a funding gap of $13 million that could be bridged by the use of the TIF funding. Without that $13 million in TIF funding, the project would not go forward. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Budget Committee, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Operations Committee, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Crosland Southeast, IDB, incremental tax revenues, James L. Murphy, lender, loan, mall, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, Ray Evans, redevelopment, tax increment financing, tenants, TIF, Trina Baughn

Oak Ridge City Council approves $13 million tax financing for mall redevelopment

Posted at 10:10 pm November 11, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Mall

The Oak Ridge City Council voted 6-0 on Monday to approve a $13 million proposal to use new property tax revenues to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall. The L-shaped mall is pictured at center above. The white-roofed building at center left is Walmart and the one at center top is the Cinemark Tinseltown theater.

The Oak Ridge City Council voted 6-0 on Monday to approve a $13 million proposal to use new property tax revenues to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall.

There was one abstention. The near-unanimous approval by Council continues a string of successes for the proposed redevelopment.

Known as tax increment financing, or a TIF, the proposal approved by Council on Monday had already been unanimously endorsed by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and the Anderson County operations and budgets committees. It will next be considered by the Anderson County Commission on Monday, Nov. 18. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Budget Committee, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Operations Committee, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, tax increment financing, TIF, Trina Baughn

County committee to consider tax financing for Oak Ridge Mall redevelopment

Posted at 2:10 pm November 4, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The Anderson County Operations Committee will consider the tax financing plan for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall during a Monday evening meeting.

The Anderson County Operations Committee will consider the tax financing plan for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall during a Monday evening meeting.

The tax financing agreement could be worth $13 million and last 20 years. It would allow new property tax revenues generated at the site to be used to help pay for development costs.

The tax increment financing, or TIF, proposal has already been unanimously endorsed by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board.

It will be considered by the Operations Committee in a meeting that starts at 6 p.m. today in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. It will also be considered at 4 p.m. Thursday by the Anderson County Budget Committee; at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, by the Oak Ridge City Council; and at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, by the Anderson County Commission. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson County Operations Committee, Crosland Southeast, Freedom Park, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, tax financing, tax increment financing, TIF

Mall redevelopment could cost $80 million, create close to 1,000 jobs

Posted at 9:17 am September 25, 2013
By John Huotari 104 Comments

Oak Ridge Mall Master Plan

The site plan for the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall shows a multi-use, town center development with retail, office, hotel, and residential properties. (Submitted image)

The project could include retail, hotel, office, and residential properties, and generate more than $2 million per year in new city and county sales tax revenues, consultant says

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m.

The North Carolina company that wants to redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall has unveiled its site plan for the 60-acre property.

The $80 million redevelopment could include new retail, hotel, office, and residential properties. It would create almost 1,000 new jobs and increase annual city and county sales tax revenues by more than $2 million, according to an estimate by a city consultant.

The two remaining anchor stores at the 500,000-square-foot mall, JCPenney and Belk, would stay. So would Walmart and the Cinemark Tinseltown theater.

Meanwhile, the existing interior space between the anchor stores would be demolished. Previous mall redevelopment plans had also called for demolishing that interior retail space. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Belk, bond resolution, Cinemark Tinseltown, Crosland Southeast, downtown, JCPenney, jobs, mall, mall redevelopment, Oak Ridge City Center LLC, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, Ray Evans, redevelopment, sales tax revenues, site plan, tax increment financing, TIF, Tim Sittema, Tom Beehan, town square, Walmart, Woodland Town Center

Tax financing meeting for Oak Ridge Mall postponed

Posted at 7:12 pm September 20, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Mall

A meeting to consider a tax financing agreement for the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall has been postponed. The L-shaped mall is pictured at center above.

The meeting to consider a tax incentive that could be used to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall has been postponed in order to allow a city board to update its policy to reflect current state law, a city consultant said Friday.

The meeting, which had been scheduled for Sept. 26, could be rescheduled two to three weeks later, economic development consultant Ray Evans said.

He said the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board has a tax increment financing, or TIF, policy that was initially enacted in 2008 and last updated in 2011. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Crosland Southeast, economic development area, IDB, Oak Ridge City Center, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Mall, property tax revenues, Ray Evans, site development, tax increment financing, TIF

Anderson budget cuts tax rate; officials assure sheriff new jailers are covered

Posted at 1:57 pm June 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

CLINTON—The Anderson County Commission endorsed a budget Thursday that lowers the property tax rate, gives employees a day off, and is supposed to provide enough money to pay for jailers hired in the past year while allowing the sheriff to hire new ones for a jail addition that could open later this year.

The budget would also restore some funding for the relatively new Alternatives to Incarceration program, which Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank had proposed cutting by 80 percent, and add money to cover the cost of increased health insurance premiums for county employees.

The budget was endorsed in a 12-1-1 vote during a special meeting Thursday, the second this week. It could officially be adopted during the County Commission’s regular meeting on Monday. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: alternatives to incarceration, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County mayor, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, budget, Chris Phillips, health insurance, jail addition, jail dormitory, jailers, Myron Iwanski, Paul White, property tax rate, property tax revenues, sheriff, Terry Frank

Guest column: Trying to set the record straight on the property tax rate

Posted at 1:04 pm June 2, 2013
By Ellen Smith 14 Comments

Online comments by local citizens in response to some recent guest columns about city and county budgets and taxes have revealed some mistaken notions about the way property tax rates are established in Tennessee cities and counties. I want to set the record straight regarding a couple of misconceptions about property tax that I see being spread in recent public discussions.

On the Oak Ridge Today website, citizen Andrew Howe posted a comment saying:

“The property tax rate should NEVER have to increase. It is basically a percentage of the value of the home, right? And if the value of the home rises (as it should, in line with the cost of living), then the taxes will also rise.”

I can’t quarrel with Mr. Howe’s logic, but his conclusions are wrong. This is because he makes an assumption that is valid in many states but isn’t valid in Tennessee.

Under Tennessee law, when properties are reappraised, state officials calculate—and publicize—the property tax rate that will give the local government the same total amount of property tax that it was getting from existing properties before the reappraisal. (This calculated rate is called the “certified tax rate.”) That’s the new baseline tax rate. If a local government in Tennessee wants to get more property tax revenue after a reappraisal, the governing body has to vote to increase the tax rate above the certified rate. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, appraisal, certified tax rate, city budget, county budget, Ellen Smith, Oak Ridge, property tax collections, property tax increases, property tax rate, property tax rates, property tax revenues, property values, reappraisal, tax bills, taxes, Tennessee

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