Agenda

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City Council Regular Meeting

Meeting Date:

10/11/2022

BACKGROUND

At the request of Council, on June 28, 2022, staff provided an update on the Main Street Incentive efforts including fee waivers. In particular were a few fees that are not currently being waived - tap and street cut, tree mitigation and impact fees. Staff recommended that Council create a Neighborhood Empowerment Zone per Chapter 378 of the Local Government Code for the Main Street area as part of this effort. Neighborhood Empowerment Zones are a tool to create affordable housing, including manufactured housing, increase economic development in the zone, increase the quality of social services, education, or public safety provided to residents of the zone, and aid in the rehabilitation of affordable housing in the zone. In the case of Main Street the primary focus would be on increasing economic development. It does this by authorizing the City to waive or adopt fees related to the construction of buildings in the zone, including fees related to the inspection of buildings and impact fees, enter into agreements, for a period of not more than 10 years, for the purpose of benefiting the zone, for refunds of municipal sales tax on sales made in the zone, enter into agreements abating municipal property taxes on property in the zone subject to the duration limits of Section 312.204, Tax Code, and set baseline performance standards, such as the Energy Star Program as developed by the Department of Energy, to encourage the use of alternative building materials that address concerns relating to the environment or to the building costs, maintenance, or energy consumption.

At the August 23, 2022 Meeting, City Council approved Resolution 22-R-81 creating the Schertz Main Street Empowerment Zone.
Staff is now seeking approval of the fee waivers discussed in June. To be clear these fee waivers only apply to City fees not those charged by SSLGC or CCMA and collected by the City.

GOAL

Promote and enhance commercial activity along Main Street to promote the economic, cultural and general welfare of the public. The area around Main Street in Schertz once served as the commercial and social hub of the community. The City seeks to improve the image of the area around Main Street through the inducement of public money to promote local economic development and stimulate business and commercial activities in the City.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

Encourage the attraction of small businesses that will create local charm and help develop a sense of place in and around Main Street. Promote commercial development. Stabilize and improve property values. Foster civic pride. Strengthen the economy of the City by protecting and enhancing the attractiveness of the Main Street area to residents and visitors, as well as provide support of local businesses.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

Approval of the proposed fee waivers.

FISCAL IMPACT

Waiving the tree mitigation, street cut or tap fee, and clearing and grading fee will have a nominal impact as the fees are fairly low or rarely charged on Main Street. The Impact fees amounts waiver are harder to estimate. Less than $10,000 is collected annually for redevelopment projects. For a new development these fee could be around $25,000, but again there has been little to no new development in the past 10 years on Main Street. As noted above the City cannot waive fees charged by CCMA and SSLGC (the City collects these fees on their behalf).

RECOMMENDATION

Approval of Resolution 22-R-99.

Attachments
Res 22 R 99 Main Street Fee Waivers
FY 22-23 Fee Schedule