Kearney approves Gateway West Community Improvement District

The Kearney Board of Aldermen on a unanimous second‑reading vote approved an ordinance establishing the Gateway West Community Improvement District and a cooperative agreement between the city and the district.

The district, the board was told by Caroline Yatsik, the city’s economic development director, would cover roughly 5.69 acres at the northwest quadrant of the I‑35 and 19th Street interchange and fund public improvements to spur residential, retail and commercial development. "The Gateway West CID petition meets both of these requirements," Yatsik said, referring to state petition thresholds for forming a CID.

The petition establishing the district was filed December 6 by property owners inside the proposed boundary, and public notices were published per the requirements stated on the record. Yatsik said the proposed improvements and preliminary cost estimates are listed in the meeting packet and in exhibit C; those estimates total $22,830,000.

Under the proposed plan the district would be its own political subdivision and governed by a board of directors. The district is authorized by state statute to impose certain financing mechanisms; the Gateway West CID would levy a special assessment of $500 per acre annually on properties in the district and would be authorized to impose a sales tax on retail sales within the district. Yatsik told the aldermen that district‑owned projects would be designed and constructed by the city and ultimately owned by the city under the cooperative agreement.

The ordinance was read on first and second readings and then approved in a roll call vote. Alderman Holt, Alderman Barker, Alderman Lehman and Alderman King each recorded aye; the mayor declared the ordinance passed on second reading.

The cooperative agreement and the CID formation are intended to support the Nation Road waterline, the Nation Road Complete Streets project, and the Sandbar Drive Complete Streets project, Yatsik said. The ordinance and agreement list formation and legal costs among the eligible expenditures.

The board took no separate motions on related resolutions during the same meeting. Details about the district boundary map and exhibits cited by staff are in the agenda packet referenced during the presentation.