Ideas on the MDD

I sent out an email to a few people in late January to ask them a few questions regarding the MDD and the absence of any language in it spelling out incentives the developer might have in mind. I sent this email to my two aldermen, Gene Ebersohl and Brad Oberkfell., and Jay Unnerstall as I figured he might have some info on the topic.

I received a reply from Gene stating that incentive language should be separate from the MDD much like Jim Agne stated the last time this issue was discussed. Gene went on to state that he feels the city should let developers know what incentives are available without specific amounts but this information regarding incentives should be discussed in the negotiations of a development as each development is different. I have not had a chance to discuss this with Gene any further, I plan to next Monday.

I chatted with Brad after this past Monday’s council meeting as he sent me an email back that he would rather discuss it in person. Brad wants to have some type of incentive language related in some way to the MDD. We discussed that most developers who approach the city should either have financing in place or know the amount of incentives it may take to get their development built. We seemed to agree that incentive language should not be part of the MDD document but asking for developers to let the city know up front what incentives would be asked for seemed reasonable.

Jay sent me an email back as well letting me know that talking to him would be better than an emailed response as it would take a great deal of time to write out. I understand that and I hope to find a chance to give him a call this weekend, as I feel he would be able to give a great perspective on the issue.

I understand why the incentive language should not be part of the “zoning” language in the MDD. But making it city policy to have developers let the city know up front what incentives they specifically will be seeking should not be an issue for a serious developer and defiantly not for the city. If a developer has taken the time and spent the money to meet all of the criteria spelled out in the MDD then they should have an idea if they will be seeking incentives of any kind from the city.

I think it would be a waste of everyone’s time if the city has a developer go through the MDD process only to start an incentive negotiation to find out the city will not give them what they need. The city may not have an issue with a developer on the basis of the MDD application but letting them know that the requested incentive(s) are possible or not possible upfront would be beneficial to everyone involved.

It already seems the council has wasted enough of their time on the issue of just formulating MDD criteria. It should be noted that while the council cannot agree on whether incentive language should be included there has never been anything in writing as incentive language that has been reviewed or discussed by the council. I would encourage one of the aldermen who feel it should be included in the process to formulate a document that could be reviewed and possibly included into the MDD process. It could be as simple as a form that asks the developer to state what type of incentive they would be seeking and how much that incentive would need to cover. Include it as a form to be filled out whenever a MDD “application” is submitted. If a developer is not asking for incentives then I think much of the council and community would feel better about the development as a whole and if they are asking to have the city fund their development everyone would know upfront. The city should not promote any type of incentive as any smart developer would take whatever the city offers.

My last point would be that the process as a whole should be ironed out. I know that an MDD “application” would go through a number of approval processes but the process of negotiations and who will be and who will not be included in any negotiation talks with developers should be spelled out before a developer approaches the city. Transparency should be the goal of the council. Letting the community know who is responsible for negotiating with developers and what type of incentives developers may be asking for may make everyone feel better when the next development comes along to Columbia.

Call or discuss the topic with your aldermen.

I have added the links to all available MDD documentation below.

MDD
MDD Appendix A - Use Matrix
MDD Appendix C - Landscape Requirements
MDD Appendix D - Signage Requirements
MDD Appendix E- Schedule of Parking Space Requirements