The Baxter Planning Commission considered changes to the Urban Growth Boundary map Thursday, considering land for potential neighborhoods.
Putnam County’s four municipalities are considering changes to the boundaries which serve as a guide for annexation. Chairman Richard Waller said staff recommends expanding southeast.
“Where there’s not a lot of housing development right now is a good place for us to be taking in,” Waller said. “Considering taking in to our Urban Growth Boundary before anything else takes place.”
Staff Planner Tommy Lee said these lots can have many roofs on them, generating greater profits on smaller parcels. Lee said expanding to subdivisions can be more fiscally responsible than interstate properties, cutting down on future expenses.
Cities cannot annex property unless the property owner and those living on the property both agree to the annexation. The city does not have plans to annex any properties at this time. Lee said annexation laws used to be loose, growing more stringent over time. Lee said 11 years ago the state took strides to prevent hostile annexation, creating barriers in the annexing process.
“I mean chances of all 40 people in that subdivision wanting to do that are pretty slim,” Lee said.
Lee said the city already services these parcels with water, so it is one less service to install. City Building Inspector Bob Lane said it is a heavy cost on the city to travel and install sewage.
“The only way you can annex an existing subdivision, it’s expensive because you got to go in and put all that in and repair the roads,” Lane said. “You’ve got to give them enough stuff that it offsets the taxes and then some, and that’s hard to do.”
Lane said the Committee expects developers to want the land for potential neighborhoods with the rate the city is growing.
Lane said a developer coming into the city, building a subdivision then turning it over to the city would be the ideal situation. Lane said opening the growth boundary will provide more opportunity for this expansion.
