<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3PJ4Iw_19jRRhNw00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3PJ4Iw_19jRRhNw00" width="1662" height="1247" ><figcaption>Austin Hoagland/Gazette</figcaption></figure>The Emporia City Commission approved an ordinance to establish a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) for the Cedarbrook Meadows development, a new 124-home single-family residential subdivision located near West 18th Avenue and Road G.An RHID is a tax rebate mechanism for developers that allows for certain eligible infrastructure and development costs to be reimbursed from incremental increases in property taxes. In this case, the RHID will capture those increases over 25 years.City officials emphasized during the meeting that the city will not be obligated to reimburse costs beyond RHID revenue and will not fund the project directly. Assistant City Manager Tayler Wash said there will also be conversations about how to use RHID funds to improve the area around the development, with further discussion expected at future commission meetings.Commissioners raised concerns that the RHID is being established before an official development agreement has been signed. Wash said that if the agreement falls through and Cedarbrook Meadows is not built as planned, the city would have no obligation to continue with the RHID.The city has already taken several steps to move the project forward. The City Commission approved a preliminary planned unit development (PUD) in August 2025, overriding a recommendation by the Emporia Municipal Planning Commission.The recommendation centered on minimum lot sizes, with the planning commission suggesting a 7,000-square-foot minimum. The City Commission approved the preliminary PUD with a minimum lot size of 6,240 square feet.The ordinance was considered at this time because the city had scheduled Wednesday’s public hearing for the RHID in February. No public comments were made during the hearing, and the ordinance was approved.Also during the meeting, commissioners approved an ordinance to rezone property at 1028 Whittier St. from commercial to flex-use low. The rezoning will allow Merak Development LLC to demolish the former Abundant Harvest facility and build two new 24-unit apartment complexes and a community food bank.The new apartment buildings will supplement the existing units at the Whittier Apartments complex.Commissioner Monica Duncan raised a question about the placement of the community food bank building, noting that Abundant Harvest previously caused traffic issues in the area with long lines of cars waiting to receive food.“They did provide us with a concept plan, and it is something we’ll definitely take into account,” Interim Director of Building and Neighborhood Development Justin Givens said. “But we can only do so much. If there are 500 cars going over there, we’re going to have issues no matter how much space they have.”Other actions taken during the meeting included approval of a city annexation at 600 Overlander St., approval of a Kansas Department of Transportation agreement for a milling and overlay project on U.S. Highway 50, and an equipment lease-purchase agreement for a 2026 Ford Maverick XL AWD totaling $31,349.KDOT will provide $400,000 for construction and construction engineering on the U.S. Highway 50 milling and overlay project. The city estimates its share at approximately $300,000, to be paid from its portion of the countywide sales tax.</div></body>

Block Source: Emporia gazette.com

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The Emporia City Commission approved an ordinance to establish a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) for the Cedarbrook Meadows development, a new 124-home single-family residential subdivision located near West 18th Avenue and Road G. An RHID is a tax rebate mechanism for developers that allows for certain eligible infrastructure and...

City approves incentive district for new housing development

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The Emporia City Commission approved an ordinance to establish a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) for the Cedarbrook Meadows development, a n

City approves incentive district for new housing development

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