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Town council, EDC renew commitment to Town Center project
By Penny Rathbun, prathbun@acnpapers.com
The Little Elm town council and Little Elm Economic Development Corporation board of directors used their joint meeting Tuesday night to clear the air and renew a working relationship.
Little activity has been happening with the with the EDC's biggest task, the four-year-old Town Center project.
Little Elm Planning Director John Taylor presented a review of the project from when it began with conversations in 2006 to today. Since then the EDC has purchased about 20 acres in the area of the old water tower and the Red Carpet restaurant on which to build the Town Center. The town council has created two Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones to finance and maintain the project and approved interim zoning for the project.
The loans to EDC for land purchase are coming due in December 2011. Not much else has happened with the Town Center.
“When this started it wasn't an EDC – town project. Today we're at a bit of a lull. EDC selected Imperium. We've been given clear indication from the town and staff that this isn't going anywhere. What do you want us to do,” council and EDC member David Hillock said.
Council members and EDC board members said they still supported the town center concept.
Mayor Charles Platt said Imperium has zero dollars in the project. “We want them to put skin in the game. We have to find a reason to make this a viable concept,” Platt said.
Council member Bill Roebken said there seemed to be a disconnect between the town and the EDC. “There's something missing,” he said.
“Unfortunately a lot of the disconnect is false rumors. A lot of former people involved spreading misinformation stirred the pot,” Platt said.
Hillock referred to Town Manager Ivan Langford's lack of enthusiasm for the project.
“There's over 75 years of municipal experience on the town staff,” Langford said. “We know something about development and we would like to be more engaged in the project and want the EDC to be more involved.”
He suggested that an EDC staff member be around full time to work on the Town Center project. Pam Mundo, consultant to the EDC said that would be difficult, but that she is available for meetings any time.
“Town staff can always call me,” Mundo said. “I am an hour away, but I can come to the meeting.”
Consensus of the two boards was to have more joint meetings and to work to move the Town Center project forward.
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