City Council met on Tuesday night to pass the resolution for Kingland Systems’ Tax Increment Financing Development Agreement. 

The agreement allows Kingland Systems to maintain and use the development project as commercial use rather than for residential property.

The agreement also states that the incremental-rebates payments will continue to the developers until June 30, 2026, or until the total payments are equivalent to $2,064,530. 

The agreement allows 75 percent or 17,244 square feet to be retail property: retail sales, services, entertainment, restaurant and recreational trade.

The agreement allows retailers to not opt out of the second ten year term, therefore at the end of the first ten year term there will still be at least 17,000 square feet of retail space. 

Gabby Williams, senior in political science, spoke to the council asking to go into further discussion for 100 percent of the ground level space to pertain to retail. 

“I still think this is a great project,” Williams said, “but what I have heard is that it is really important to students that we retain that retail space on the entire ground floor.”

Todd Rognes, president of Kingland Systems, said the collaboration between the students and community has been extraordinary. However, he said the 25 percent of the space not designated to retail is necessary.

“We do want the flexibility to change,” Rognes said.

The agreement prohibits the space to be used for a casino, an adult entertainment facility and a firearms shooting range or gambling office.  

A feature stated in the agreement is that the Welch Avenue building should have the appearance of multiple storefronts on the ground level. 

Williams said this is a feature students would be fond of — to see the Campustown atmosphere continue through the redevelopment. 

“I like the design to look like multiple storefronts,” Williams said, “I can only imagine [the developer] put that in there because that is the feeling of Campustown.”

Other topics of discussion included a proposed median to be built to alleviate the congestion on South Duff. The staff of the council has proposed to work with properties on South Duff and the Department of Transportation, since South Duff is also Highway 69, to work on multiple solutions. 

Chuck Winkleblack, broker associate for Hunziker and Associates, said this needs to be a collaborative project.

“Majority of the people agreed that this stretch of town is a disaster to get through,” Winkleblack said. “It is going to take a cooperative effort with businesses and council.”

The concerns include access to both sides of the street, safety and danger to flooding.  

“It boils down to safety on Duff … We can make it worse or we can make it better,” councilman Tom Wacha said.