Here's when the county and the college may consider tax incentives for Barisi Village.
Additional tax incentives officials have said are critical to construction of a proposed village-style mixed-use development may be on the way.
Creating a financing framework to support buildout of Barisi Village – proposed for development on the former Pharaoh Valley golf course – may come into clearer focus within the next 90 days.
Early project outlines include a wide range of housing, commercial space and publicly accessible recreational amenities on the vacant 127-acre portion of land between Nile Drive, Pharaoh Drive, McArdle Road and Ennis Joslin Road.
The city of Corpus Christi has so far preliminarily committed to about $31.6 million in potential reimbursements for publicly accessible amenities and accommodations for the public to access the amenities, spanning certain infrastructure improvements, parks and a plaza featuring a tower.
Meanwhile, Nueces County commissioners and the Del Mar College Board of Regents appear to be in the process of bringing back considerations of participation in reimbursement agreements – funding that officials say would be integral to fully executing plans.
Developer Jeff Blackard told the Caller-Times on Tuesday that he is moving forward with work toward architecture, civil engineering and landscape engineering.
He is hopeful the group will have “the outcome we think we’re going to have in the next couple of weeks,” Blackard said.
If approved, reimbursements would be distributed via agreements for the creation of what is known as a TIRZ or tax increment reinvestment zone – in this case, exclusive to the boundaries of the presently empty golf course.
The financial structure involves tax entities agreeing to contribute a certain amount of tax revenue to support funding for certain pieces of the project open to the public.
The increment is drawn from the new property tax revenue expected to be generated within a given “zone” and can only go toward reinvestments within the zone.
City of Corpus Christi officials have said at least one other taxing entity’s participation in the TIRZ will be required to continue toward a developer’s agreement.
City and county have both praised the potential development as an opportunity to revitalize the barren property and also to collect more tax dollars than it currently brings to the coffers of taxing entities.
Officials estimate that should Barisi Village reach full fruition –a timeline thought to unfold within 10 to 12 years – it will have a value between $800 million and $1 billion.
In its Feb. 7 meeting, the Nueces County Commissioners Court preliminarily approved in a unanimous vote participation of about $13 million over 20 years.
It was not finalized at the time pending legal negotiations, and it was not immediately clear as of Wednesday morning when a firm agreement may be considered by the court.
Nueces County Commissioner Brent Chesney – whose precinct includes a portion of the property – wrote in a message to the Caller-Times on Wednesday morning that his support of the project stems from giving residents opportunity.
“The vote for the Barisi Village project is about supporting the residents of that neighborhood who have waited so long for help and they have made this request from those of us who represent them,” he wrote. “These residents have paid years of property taxes on this area and have put their money where their mouth is and we should do the same.”
Meanwhile, Del Mar College will likely be revisiting the discussion in its upcoming meeting, according to school administrators.
The Board of Regents in its Feb. 13 meeting rejected participation in the TIRZ in a 5-4 vote – in part because the term of the agreement was lengthier than the college’s policy.
There is reconsideration of participation under a new proposal, wrote Del Mar College President Mark Escamilla in a message to the Caller-Times.
Details of the proposal are not currently available, but are expected to become available before the meeting is held.
The Corpus Christi City Council had originally set a deadline of 90 days from Jan. 9 for other taxing entities to sign on to the TIRZ.
An agenda shows city officials are scheduled to discuss extending the deadline to July 8 in their Tuesday meeting.
More: Del Mar College has voted on Barisi Village development. This is what regents decided.
More: Here's what Nueces County decided for a proposed mixed-use development in Corpus Christi
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County and Del Mar College to revisit village-stye development