Planning ahead: City officials consider ways to deal with expected growth
October 10, 2012 at 2:00 am in The Jamestown Sun
City officials and leaders are now exploring ways to cope with possible levels of growth unseen in the community for decades. A planned ethanol plant, a planned ammonia-manufacturing facility and the planned start of operations at the coal-fired Spiritwood Station could bring hundreds of additional residents to the area in the next years.
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“There are safety concerns. We need to house 1,500 to 2,000 workers so it doesn’t impact Jamestown’s quality of life.”
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There’s absolutely no way that bringing in 1500-2000 outsiders in that short of period will have a positive impact on the quality of life in Jamestown. Those workers won’t care about the people that live here. They’ll be here to make a buck and move on when the project is finished.
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“We’re trying to create a structure that is accommodating to developers so they want to be here,” she said. “The development ordinance has been pointed out as an obstacle to growth. With the pressure on the housing market anticipated, we have to grow.”
The City Council is scheduled to review a proposed ordinance to change the way the infrastructure of new developments is financed. Currently the developer is required to pay the costs of installing water and sewer infrastructure and raising the street to grade. Pavement and curb and gutter are than paid by the city and financed with special assessments against the property.
The proposal under consideration would combine all infrastructure costs and require the developer to pay 25 percent in advance and the rest could be financed by special assessments.
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If the growth is going to be as big as projected, the developers will build regardless of the ordinances. If there’s money to be made, they’ll be there. The ordinances didn’t seem to hurt the Marjo development in NE Jamestown.
If they do change the ordinaces, then the price of a lot should decrease since the developer hasn’t put in as much up front. For some reason, I don’t see that happening. Changing the ordinances is just going to pad the developer’s pockets at the expense of the taxpayer.
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