Council OKs developers ordinance

Talk about it

Real estate developers will have to pay less upfront to develop property in Jamestown in the future.

A change in the ordinance regarding what infrastructure costs can be paid by the city through special assessments passed the City Council Monday by a 3-2 vote. Mayor Katie Andersen and Councilmen Charlie Kourajian and Ramone Gumke approved the change with Councilmen Steve Brubakken and Dan Buchanan dissenting.

The new ordinance will allow real estate developers to pay 25 percent of the cost of water, sewer and street infrastructure upfront with the rest paid by special assessments. Previously developers had to pay 100 percent of water and sewer with paving and gutter paid by special assessments.

Kourajian said the city’s growth required the updated ordinance.

“The way the city is progressing we need this ordinance now,” he said.

Buchanan said the council was moving too fast.

“We appear to be acting in unnecessary haste,” he said. “The required 25 percent puts too much risk on the taxpayers and this has not been debated enough. We’ve had no input from the developers and there are at least two pages of new regulations in this ordinance.”

Brubakken also questioned why there was not more input from developers.

“What would it hurt to have an open hearing for developers next month?” he said.

Mayor Katie Andersen said the ordinance needed to be passed now so developers could plan spring projects and noted the ordinance had been on the agenda four times already. She also said the ordinance included enough flexibility for the City Council to require additional protection from the developers.

The ordinance includes a list of eight requirements that can be placed on potential developers before they are allowed to have infrastructure costs paid by special assessments. In those requirements the city reserves the right to limit the size of developments, require a bond from the developer for the amount charged to special assessments or require the developer to pay in full all unpaid special assessments in five years.

The action was the second reading of the ordinance which now goes into effect.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at 701-952-8452 or by email at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news