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What's
Going On at Aquia Towne
Center?
October 17, 2007
Update: Ramco-Gershenson changes proffers, leveraging a
"Community Development Authority" instead of tax increment financing,
in a shell game using a $24 million tax payer subsidy for the developer.
In August, Ramco-Gershenson filed an
application for a rezoning of properties at Aquia Towne Center. The developer is
requesting a "Traditional Neighborhood Development" at the site. (Learn
more about "TND".)
From notes in the file at the Planning Department, it is clear that there have
been multiple conversations with County officials prior to the filing of the plan. So
while you may be surprised at some aspects of the plan, the County knew what was
coming, even if they didn't tell you.
The application proposes to build 350
residential condominiums and 727,472 square feet of commercial on 36.35 acres.
(View the plan
summary.) The residential units will be concentrated in the core of
the project in the "T-6
transect zone." In that core, the residential units will be
built at a density of 24 units per acre in buildings up to 90 feet high. The
"T-5 transect zone" along Washington Drive will be 100% commercial
use. Although the plan indicates a "civic" use in the "SD-C
transect zone," the plan does not specify what this use will be.
Otherwise, this zone will be 100% commercial.
The plan indicates two possible additional
entrances on Washington Drive.
The traffic
impact analysis concludes that the project will generate only 20,000
vehicle trips per day. That's a remarkably low number, given the amount of commercial
space and the number of residential units.
Did you know
that taxpayer dollars will be used to pay the developers' cash proffers?
In a brazen "robbing Peter to pay
Paul" scheme, the proposed proffers
request that the Board of Supervisors establish a district for the project in
order to use tax increment financing, know as "TIF." Under the
proposed TIF, the additional tax revenues generated by the project will be used
to pay the cash proffers.
Proffers are payments by a developer to the
County to help offset the cost to taxpayers of development. In this case,
developers are proposing that taxpayers pay the proffers, completely undermining
the point of proffers. In other words, taxpayer dollars will be used to pay the developers'
costs!
The TIF proffer makes a mockery of both the cash proffers, and of the
economic analysis in the impact
statement.
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