Council adopts infill incentive district to encourage redevelopment along four commercial corridors

Planning staff brought forward an infill incentive district program and the council adopted Resolution 5616 to authorize a city program that reduces eligible building and engineering review and permit fees by 50% for qualifying projects on four designated corridors.

Planner Heather Rasman told council the statute requires that specified criteria be met; staff concluded corridors met multiple statutory criteria (vacant/underused parcels, obsolete lot sizes and a relative absence of investment). The corridors identified are Airway/Stockton Hill to Rainbow, Bank Street (Airway to Gordon), Walapai Mountain Road (Andy Divine to Eastern) and Beale Street (I‑40 to the west city limit).

Rasman said eligible applicants include new businesses constructing on vacant land or occupying vacant buildings in the corridor; significant expansions could be evaluated. Excluded uses include self‑storage, RV storage and wireless communications facilities. Applicants will enter five‑year performance agreements recorded against the property that require annual reporting on net new jobs and city sales tax generation; pro‑rata repayment rules apply for noncompliance.

Staff presented sample project analyses showing total eligible fees ranging from roughly $7,600 to $47,000 and projected job creation and sales‑tax increases tied to typical development scenarios. Council voted to adopt the resolution and authorized implementation.

Why it matters: the program aims to encourage private investment in underused commercial corridors, increase employment and sales tax base, and support infill rather than greenfield expansion.