Council details LIFT/TIF projects
The Liberty Lake City Council passed a resolution this week detailing what projects will be paid for first by sales tax and property tax money collected in the Revenue Development Area that is mostly north of Interstate 90 on both sides of Harvard Road.
The land is being developed by Greenstone Corp. and is owned by Centennial Properties, a subsidiary of Cowles Co., which owns The Spokesman-Review. Under tax increment financing and the local infrastructure financing tool, the developer is reimbursed for core infrastructure improvements out of the property and sales taxes collected in the RDA.
The resolution calls for $500,000 to be spent on a new I-90 interchange, $2.9 million for sewer and water infrastructure and $400,000 for a 20-acre park facility that will be used primarily for sports. The resolution will also provide $1 million for arterial roads that support commercial development south of Mission Avenue and located in areas zoned freeway commercial.
“We are looking for commercial,” said Mayor Wendy Van Orman. “That’s what this LIFT/TIF was all about, to help for the commercial part.”
The resolution now goes to Spokane County for approval and the county would take out bonds for the projects that will be repaid by tax revenue. The council has been discussing which projects should have first priority for months. “We finally got that one taken care of,” Van Orman said. “People just wanted to get it right.”
The council had planned to award a bid to construct a park area at MeadowWood Lane and Mission, the site of the proposed library/community center. It would have included restrooms, gardens, a fountain, an amphitheater and space for the farmers’ market. Since the $9.8 million bond for the library/community center failed, council members decided not to award the bid.
“We didn’t want to stick a beautiful park there quite yet until we know what we’re going to do,” Van Orman said. “At this time, we’re just going to say no just for the simple fact that we don’t know what’s going to go there.”
The council also passed a no-idle resolution that calls for people to turn off their cars when idling for more than 30 seconds to reduce pollution. The resolution won’t be enforced by police, but is more for making people aware of their actions. “It is not looking at having people stop in mid-traffic,” she said. “If you’re waiting at the bank, please turn off your car.”