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Plan should lure new business



Consultant touts proposal; says plan should allow for flexibility

An economic development consultant breathed an air of excitement into the urban renewal process, offering ideas and pointing out opportunities for an area along the West Shawnee Bypass corridor.

Rickey Hayes of Retail Attractions said a proposed plan being assembled by urban renewal commissioners is something that should lure new businesses to town. Hayes is under contract with the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce to help spur retail development.

“Despite your obvious strengths, you don’t show as well as some other cities,” Hayes said, citing the “hodgepodge” of development along Muskogee’s major corridors. “You are doing something right here that we can take to national retailers.”

Hayes said representatives of a large retailer “circled the city” a few months ago, but selling Muskogee “was tough sledding.” He predicted that will change once property is acquired, infrastructural pieces are in place, and incentives are clearly defined.

While those pieces were deemed critical to success, Hayes urged commissioners and other city officials to allow for some flexibility. He said there are no standards when it comes to retail development; every incentive package will be hammered out on a “deal-by-deal basis.”

Mayor Bob Coburn said every opportunity must be treated as a business deal and decided based upon the potential economic impact.

Commissioners during the past few months have been addressing those elements as they assemble an urban renewal plan. Interim City Attorney Roy Tucker anticipated the plan would be presented by the end of the year for review by planning commissioners, but recent developments could push that presentation into January.

The area designated for urban renewal is bounded by Chicago and 11th streets on the east and west and Shawnee Bypass and Talladega Street on the north and south. The area has been divided into three project areas that would allow for big-box retail development and infill commercial growth along with some residential construction.

Tucker said a proposal approved in July by commissioners for mixed-income residential development was dashed earlier this month. A company that was planning to construct 34 single-family homes within one part of the urban renewal zone was denied its application for tax incentives that were key to the project.

Hayes recommended the addition of an upscale apartment complex to the mix of housing that would be allowed in the area set aside for residential development. Commissioner Robert Goolsby, a local real estate agent, said there is a market for that type of development in Muskogee.

To date, commissioners have completed a blight study to determine if the area targeted for urban development meets requirements established by state law. The findings of that study are expected to be presented to city councilors in December.

They also have designated three phases of development, considered design and zoning guidelines, and approved a financing component that would include the establishment of a tax increment financing district. Tax increment financing is a method by which future tax gains projected as a result of redevelopment can be used to raise money for present development.

When commissioners meet in December, they are expected to examine feasible methods of relocating residents and businesses that might be affected by urban renewal plans. They also plan to look at grant opportunities and other incentive options and amend the proposed plan to include multi-family residential development.

The Muskogee Urban Renewal Authority regularly meets at 10 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month in the second-floor conference room at City Hall.

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.