Business & Tech

Joint Village Board Listens to Local Developer's Plans

The idea of an asphalt company and another unnamed business were two ideas local developer Dan Hintz is exploring.

A local developer spoke to the Joint Village Board Tuesday night about developing two large tracts of land along Interstate 94.

Dan Hintz told the Village Board and Plan Commission members that an asphalt plant is interested in purchasing about 12 acres of land along the frontage road near Golf Road where the current South Hills Country Club is located.

A couple of other buyers, who wished to remain anonymous at this time, also expressed interested in an adjacent 130 acres that is zoned for mixed use. However, Hintz said he has no interest in commercial or residential development at this time and that this project would likely be industrial.

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Hintz said he wanted to find out how much support he would get from the Village Board and the Plan Commission before he started spending money on the project.

“This project addresses a major problem the Village has to overcome with development along the Interstate since there is no water and sewer service there,” he said. “These companies are low water and low sewer users.”

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Since the property is designated as a tax incremental finance district, Hintz would also ask for the Village to pay for the reconstruction of Golf Rd and for building a new north/south road through the property.

The project got a lukewarm reception.

Jerry Griswold, a village board member, said if the project involved paying for roads, he wouldn’t support it.

“I’m not for the Village paying for roads,” Griswold said. “It’s been my experience that roads are paid for by the developer.”

However, Tom Lebak, the village administrator, explained that a tax incremental finance district could be used for building roads, but the approval still needs to come from board.

“That’s why you would pay as you go…it’s a little bit of a gamble,” Lebak said. “The idea is that as we borrow, we can justify improving it because we can pay for it.”

Tax incremental finance districts are financing tools municipalities can use to entice development. The property tax is frozen at the current level and the increased property tax revenue the business pays is diverted to help pay for infrastructure costs instead of going to other taxing entities. So, in essence the new property owner would still be paying taxes, but the increased tax revenue would pay for the bonding needed to pay for the new roads or infrastructure.

“It’s my understanding that Caledonia became Village in order to create TIF district to attract business,” Hintz said.

Some Plan Commission members also raised concerns about the impact on nearby neighbors with the noise and smell. Hintz explained that the nearest neighbor would be a half-mile away and that the company designs the plant to address those issues.

Village Board member Tom Weatherston said he did not have enough information to say he would or wouldn’t support the project.

“I like the principal of it, but there’s not enough information for me to make a decision. I would need to know who the other buyer is and what the use is going to be,” Weatherston said.

The Board asked Hintz to have officials with the asphalt company explain how they might address operational concerns and to get more information on the anonymous business.

Hintz said he would bring the board back more information in another meeting.

 


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