TIMES UNION REPORTS – Leesburg Town Council said Monday that they would be interested in further discussions about housing with the Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO).
Greg Fitzloff, business development partner at KEDCO, said he was asked to the Council to talk about KEDCO’s housing initiative after Suzie Light addressed the Council in August.
Three or four years ago, KEDCO started hearing a lot from local employers about having trouble getting and retaining employees, Fitzloff said. One of the issues in regards to retainment was the lack of housing in the county. Employers were also having trouble bringing in people due to housing.
A market study was done and there “definitely seemed to be a lack of housing in the county,” he said. The study did identify a need for about 2,000 housing units in the county by 2025.
“That’s a pretty aggressive number in terms to adding to the existing stock,” Fitzloff said.
About a year ago, KEDCO started a housing initiative because there isn’t a town in the county that doesn’t need housing, he said.
Fitzloff said housing development has become a big part of economic growth. It brings more residents to the area. Those people come into the area, they may work in the area, it helps the businesses and schools in the community.
KEDCO developed a process of how to help towns with housing. KEDCO, or one of its affiliate companies, go out and identify potential property in the community that has the potential for housing development. What they’re looking for is something with a minimum of 10 and probably a maximum of 20 acres to develop 25 to 50 houses.
At the same time, KEDCO will come to the town to see if the town is interested. If the town is, they’re going to have to approach it like any other development. Fitzloff said there may be some incentives that may be involved. One example Fitzloff suggested was using a residential TIF district. The district would not reduce the taxes in that area, he said.
Council member Doug Jones asked if the TIF district would start after the housing project has started. Fitzloff said yes.
The houses that would be built in the developments will not be low-income housing or subsidized housing, Fitzloff said. The housing will sell in the range of $250,000 to $300,000. He said after talking with bankers, that’s the sweet spot in the housing market and, with the housing initiative, they will be focusing on that particular part of the housing market.
KEDCO will sit down with the town and talk about what type of incentives it can offer for the development.
Fitzloff said the process is a step-by-step process.
Council President Tom Moore said Leesburg is landlocked mostly by farm land.
Fitzloff said KEDCO has been able to look at the land and talk to the property owners. He also said just because land owners may not be willing to sell land this year, that doesn’t mean it won’t change.
Fitzloff said he’s not asking the Council to commit to anything because there’s nothing to commit to.
Moore said he’d definitely be interested in further discussions with KEDCO.
Jones said part of the Council’s job is to do what’s good for the town, and if the housing initiative is something that ends up being good for the town, then the Council needs to keep its options open.
Fitzloff suggested the town set up a private review committee, which would be the first step in the process. One member of the Council, a resident of the town and a member of KEDCO would make up the committee.
“That allows us to have those meetings, to have those discussions and make sure we’re staying in touch with the Council and, quite frankly, the community feels it has some part in that,” Fitzloff said.
The committee would be the ones who would be the ones bringing back recommendations to the Council.
No decision on the committee were made Monday. Moore asked for Fitzloff’s information and said he’d be back in touch with him.
In other business, the Council had a budget hearing for its 2022 budget.
The proposed budget total is $267,114. The rainy day fund is $4,768. The general fund is $138,000. The local road and street fund is $8,000. The motor vehicle highway fund is $113,346. The cumulative capital improvement fund is $3,000.
The adoption date is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11.
In other business, the Council:
• Approved Jones to approach the town’s insurance company to see what the town’s options are in regards to traffic control. The town has offered the Claypool Police Department a contract to do policing in Leesburg. Jones said there’s been an insurance debacle that has to be worked through in regards to the contract. He said he will have more information at October’s meeting.
• Approved trick-or-treating hours for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30.
