Business and Industrial Development Committee - Community Development Authority

Staff and Weichert Cornerstone reviewed Phase 3 pricing against current market conditions and sales data, with the city aiming to keep lots moving while also maximizing its return. The CDA decided the city’s best interest was to raise prices across Phase 3 by 7.5%. For residents, this is a direct affordability and housing-supply pressure point: higher lot prices can translate into higher home prices, even if demand is currently “steady.”

Staff laid out early thinking on what could become the city’s next subdivision phase (a continuation of Sandy Bay) and pointed to three nearby properties under different ownership as possible options. No vote was taken, but this is the start of the pipeline that can shape where new housing goes and what it costs. Residents who care about growth, traffic, and neighborhood impacts should treat this as an early warning that expansion planning is underway.

Staff reported Thermo Fisher Scientific supports a city-initiated rezoning of the former Hamilton Industries site from industrial to business zoning, with Plan Commission review expected in February and a City Council public hearing after that. At the same time, the city plans a community visioning process with the Main Street organization to shape redevelopment concepts, infrastructure needs, design standards, and public engagement. The stakes are high because rezoning sets what can legally happen there; the “visioning” will matter most if it meaningfully influences the rezoning and follow-on decisions, not just the marketing.

Staff gave a high-level look at city-owned land inventory, market interest, and possible future expansion of Woodland Industrial Park, and asked for general policy direction. No action was requested, but this is where big spending and land-use choices can start—especially if expansion planning leads to infrastructure costs or land purchases. Residents should watch for what “direction” staff takes from this and whether it comes back with a price tag in 2026.

The committee voted to give staff flexibility to negotiate a land deal involving the lot at 18th Street and Hawthorne Avenue as part of a possible Renee’s Popcorn relocation. This is a meaningful delegation: it can speed negotiations, but it also reduces how much of the bargaining happens in public view until a final deal is brought back. Residents should expect follow-up details later on cost, site impacts, and any incentives tied to the move.

Staff reviewed current revolving loan fund activity and the committee discussed using the program to support job creation in Two Rivers. The BIDC voted to reinstate the prior requirement that applicants must show they are creating jobs with the borrowed money. That’s a clearer accountability standard, but residents should still ask for regular reporting on whether promised jobs actually materialize after loans are issued.

The committee voted to reject the latest proposal for the former West Eggers site. The minutes don’t explain what the proposal included or why it was rejected, which makes it hard for residents to judge whether the city is holding out for something better or simply stuck. Either way, rejection keeps the site in limbo and raises the question of what standards or expectations the city wants for that redevelopment.