By Jim Bloch
Port Huron will hold a public hearing on the establishment of a Neighborhood Improvement Authority for the city’s south side.
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 25 at 5 p.m. in the chambers of the city council in the Municipal Office Center.
The city council unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the public hearing at its regular meeting June 26.
The NIA is technically a tax increment finance authority, in line with Michigan Public Act 57 of 2018. A tax increment finance authority creates a baseline of property value in a specified district. All of the taxes below the baseline continue to flow the city, county, schools, state and any other taxing jurisdictions, as before. All of the new taxable value created above the baseline is retained “to correct and prevent deterioration” in the district and “promote residential and economic growth.”
The authority may create governing board, determine their powers, and issue bonds.
“(T)hrough proper short and long-range planning, the Southside NIA would have the ability to repair, rehabilitate, and construct public improvements and infrastructure, including housing, within the development area,” according to the resolution. “(T)he City Council understands the need for additional affordable housing within the City and having an NIA could be a catalyst in which to spur new development and other potential benefits that are to be realized through the act.”
The resolution noted that city has “facilitated a series of meetings and discussions about community redevelopment and the tools afforded by a neighborhood improvement authority with residents, business owners, key stakeholders and interested citizens throughout the Southside Community.”
Among other developments to date, the city hopes to see a condo project rise on the site of a former grocery store in the South Park neighborhood; River District Market burned to the ground a decade ago.
Consulting firm Double Haul Solutions has put together a plan for the south side based on a series of meetings with residents.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
