Town hall explains TOD, Patriot Station CRA and property taxes; residents press on 200 South and density
January 7, 2020, 6:30 p.m. · American Fork City Hall, 31 N. Church St.
The city held a town hall after a contentious CRA hearing. Senior Planner Adam Olsen described the roughly 500-acre TOD around the FrontRunner station. Cody Hill of Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham explained the Patriot Station CRA budget over 20 years: $17.8 million for 200 South infrastructure and roads, $3.9 million for affordable housing and $1.9 million for legal and administrative costs. City Administrator David Bunker explained the certified tax rate. Residents raised the school district's share, water, high density next to farms, traffic on 300 West and 200 South, parking and meeting notice.
From the approved minutes.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Town hall on TOD, Patriot Station CRA and certified tax rate | No action |
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · General plan
Town hall on TOD, Patriot Station CRA and certified tax rate
No action
Olsen said the TOD covers about 7% of the city in office, mixed-use core, general mixed-use and neighborhood-edge districts. Hill said the CRA does not raise taxes but redirects increment from participating entities to the area, with 10% for affordable housing; the trigger year is 2018. Bunker said American Fork last raised its rate in 2008; the median home ($310,000) pays the city about $345 a year; and Alpine School District takes 67.1% of the tax bill and the city 20%. Frost said CRA money is also planned for a 700 West flyover, a long-term project of about $50 million needing UDOT help. Bunker said 200 South design would finish in May with bidding in late fall.
- Budget$17.8 million
- Budget$3.90 million
- ContractAmount not given to Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham
What residents said
School district tax increment going to the CRAWater supply for new developmentHigh density next to existing low-density homesTraffic on 300 West200 South safety and congestionParking in high-density housingMeeting notice
A resident named Shelley questioned Alpine School District contributing about $26 million to the TOD and asked about water supply. Pharis Blackhurst said high-density housing would hurt neighbors' quality of life and property values, questioned building a new fire station in the north end and doubted the Vineyard Connector would be built. Other residents raised congestion on 300 West, the 200 South bottleneck and pedestrian safety (Stacie Carter and a Mr. Stafford), parking from rental housing and poor advertising of the meeting.