NIMCO project split into two buildings; dog park, parking and environmental cleanup tied to permits

Economic Development Director Liz Hannam told the Board of Aldermen that the NIMCO proposal has been reconfigured from one building into two to create a more regular street grid and to phase construction.

"Phase one will be closest to the riverfront and that'll be roughly 150 units. And then we have 100 units in phase two," Hannam said, adding the developer will construct a dog park and other public improvements that, under the master development agreement, must be completed before the first building receives its certificate of occupancy. She said the Bagshaw site nearby was a private, private-to-private purchase and that exact unit counts for Bagshaw are not yet available. Planning-board applications for the NIMCO/Bagshaw pieces are expected this fall.

Staff also warned aldermen that the NIMCO site contains an environmental contamination issue requiring coordination with the EPA; progress on cleanup must be aligned with planning and the developer’s schedule. Hannam said the city retained ownership of the parcel intended for phase two until the developer is ready to start construction, and emphasized that public improvements and conditions in the development agreement are central to the negotiations.

No formal vote occurred; staff said negotiations and planning-board submittals will proceed and that aldermen will be kept informed as applications and remediation efforts move forward.