The Baxter Planning Commission discussed expanding the city’s Urban Growth Boundary Thursday, creating room for economic development.
Staff Planner Tommy Lee said the Urban Growth Boundary represents the defined area around the city’s corporate limits where they have the ability to annex property. Lee said the last update to Baxter’s urban growth boundary was 25 years ago. Lee said the new boundary plan looks toward the future, where the city will be able to claim business and protect the economic growth of the city.
“Our urban growth boundary has shrank since it was established because we have annexed properties into our corporate limits,” Lee said. “So we want to expand that Urban Growth Boundary to give us more chances to potentially annex parcels into the city limits.”
Lee said expanding the boundary could benefit everyone, as one of the biggest revenue basis for any city is property taxes. Lee said the more parcels a city has, the more property taxes it receives.
Lee said the new boundary would expand along streets. Lee said streets will be better than parcel lines, as streets do not change as often as parcel lines do. Lee said the new lines would start toward West Gate Road, down Landscape Road into Academy Road, leading into town. Lee said it will continue, leading into Moss Road before cutting down New Wind Cliff, taking the exit toward Old Baxter Road.
“Now obviously there’s territory in between the proposed expansion that you would have to get first,” Lee said. “But I mean I promise you every other city is going to expand their Urban Growth Boundary.”
Lee said the growth boundary would not only help the present local government. Lee said long after the current Commission, this decision will offer many opportunities to the city, as a range of properties will be available for annexation.
“These may not be parcels that any of us ever annex in our lifetime, but future generations of Baxter Council Members would have the opportunity if there city limits wanted to expand in a certain direction,” Lee said. “They would have a greater opportunity to bring parcels into the city limits than they currently do right now.”
Lee said the Commission will discuss the issue more next month.
