Norman residents are invited to attend a town hall Monday on the history of the University North Park Tax Increment Finance District, according to a City of Norman press release.
Ward 2 Councilmember Joe Carter will hold the town hall from 3–5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Carter said in the release he believes the UNP TIF is the “most divisive issue” in Norman in the past 12 years, and that prior to being elected to city council he was an active opponent of the UNP TIF.
“Since being elected to city council I have been involved in the decisions regarding changes to the development agreement between the developers and the city that governs the UNP TIF,” Carter said in the release. “I’m holding this meeting in an effort to aid in transparency and answer questions regarding the history of the last three years and the UNP TIF’s current status.”
The district is located between I-35 and Westheimer Airport and is north of Robinson Street and south of Tecumseh Road. The plan was adopted by the city council in 2006, authorizing several development projects under the TIF, which would take the difference between a frozen sales tax rate for the district and any future increases toward further development for the district.
While several development projects were completed, including Norman’s Super Target, Embassy Suites Hotel, Kohl’s and several other retail stores, the TIF has been controversial, and the city council voted in November of 2019 to end the TIF once all the projects had been completed.
