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Council considers upgrading C-J road to help Cedars Edge
by Rick DeClue · News · July 28, 2016
West Branch Mayor Roger Laughlin told the West Branch City Council and the audience at its July 18 meeting, “bottom line... we want to work something out. We want to make this happen.”
“This” refers to the residential development proposed by Jerry Sexton for the recently reopened Cedars Edge Golf Course.
Sexton asked the city for help in keeping the course, which he is operating under an option to purchase, a major amenity in the city. In particular, he wants the city to pay for improving Cedar-Johnson Road along the western side of the course.
A preliminary development plan shows shows up to 45 residences in a mix of single-family lots, “zero-lot-line” homes, duplexes and four-plex townhouses, many of which will include views of the golf course and a proposed new clubhouse.
City engineer Dave Schechinger of Veenstra and Kimm said new concrete curb and gutter, a new asphalt surface to replace the current seal-coat, an extended water main and new fire hydrants would cost approximately $392,000, including engineering and a 10 percent contingency.
According to City Administrator Matt Muckler, the city is not considering paying for the $40,000 to $50,000 portion of these costs related to water improvements.
The road improvements would extend from just north of Greenview Drive to approximately where Cedar-Johnson Road currently changes to a dirt road near the northern edge of the golf course property.
The city would leave improving Cedar-Johnson from West Main Street to Greenview Drive as well as improving West Main Street as it enters the city from Johnson County for future development.
Typically, the city does not pay for infrastructure costs related to new residential development, leaving that to the developer.
The council acknowledged the importance of the golf course to the city and appears willing to help with the road costs – to some degree.
Sexton asked for the city to pay for the entire cost of the road improvements as, “the only way it works; the only way I can buy the golf course.”
“I’m taking all the risks,” he told the council. “I don’t even have the books (for the golf course operation) from the previous owner.”
To keep the course in the city and ”to make this town grow, the city needs to help,” he said.
Council member Mary Beth Stevenson said that, while she saw the need to help with the infrastructure costs in order to keep the amenity, she was “not comfortable with funding 100 percent of the road.”
“The city has a lot of projects in the next couple of years – voter approved,” she said.
Along with who will pay for what, timing is an issue.
Sexton said homebuyers showed interest in the single-family lots and he would like to begin building before the end of this year. He was scheduled to appear before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on July 26 for them to consider rezoning the property to match the proposed housing mix.
Muckler said the city could not act that quickly on road improvements; the earliest the road work could start would be next spring, and would require changing the city’s capital improvements plan. The council will review the CIP on Aug. 15.
Laughlin said it also makes sense to let all of the heavy equipment finish its work – site grading and so on – before laying a new road surface. Eight of the single-family lots will have driveways on Cedar-Johnson Road at the south end of Cedars Edge.
Council member Tim Shields asked about the possibility of using Tax Increment Financing to cover the cost of the road work.
Muckler said Cedar-Johnson Road is in the city’s Urban Renewal Area, but is not in a TIF District. While the city has plenty of capacity to borrow money under TIF, most of the city’s designated TIF Districts are located south of Interstate 80, he said.
Council member Colton Miller pointed out several reasons for the city to find a way to help with funding the road work.
Among these, he said, “in the past, we wanted to buy a municipal golf course. This $250,000 (to $350,000) might be cheap to keep an amenity and grow the tax base. It might end up being the best money we spend.”
Miller did question whether it was appropriate to offer the city’s builder incentive plan for the proposed homes in addition to spending money on the road.
Muckler acknowledged the unique opportunity for the city to keep an important amenity, but thought it was important to keep the housing incentives to promote and ensure growth.
He later said that the city’s 2014 goals included the need for a municipally owned golf course. That was modified in the council’s goals for 2015 to preserving a golf course in the city. Finding a way to help fund these road improvements would be consistent with that goal, he said.
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