WORTHINGTON -- A 95-acre tract of land purchased by the City of Worthington last year was the primary subject of a fast-moving Worthington City Council meeting Monday night.
In separate votes, city councilmen approved an agriculture lease for a majority of the land -- roughly 84 acres -- as well as a change in zoning for the remaining 11.27 acres for the purposes of redevelopment by a manufacturing company.
The lease, which the council acted upon first, establishes an agreement between the city and Joel Lorenz, from whom the city purchased the entire tract. Terms of the city's purchase from Lorenz allowed him the right to lease all undeveloped acres for five years, with the dollar amount to be negotiated between Lorenz and the city.
Additional terms stated that if the city and Lorenz could not come to an agreement on the dollar amount, they would use a set price established by Southwest Farm Management Services (SFMS). The city and Lorenz ultimately agreed to the SFMS price of $160 per acre for 2008. Rent to be paid for subsequent years shall be established annually by Dec. 1; if no agreement is reached, the amount would be established through binding arbitration.
Lorenz would be compensated by the city at a rate of $350 per acre of corn and $200 per acre of soybeans in the event where the city -- "due to lessor's desire to offer all or a portion of the property for industrial development," the agreement reads -- damages his crops during the first year of the lease.
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In approving the change in zoning, meanwhile, councilmen went along with a Worthington Planning Commission recommendation to change the designation for the 11.27 acres located 800 feet west of the intersection of 27th Street and U.S. 59 from Transitional Zone to General Manufacturing. The city is in the midst of proceeding with a sale of the property to Bedford Technology, which is proposing to construct a 36,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on the site.
It's hoped that the initial phase of the facility's construction will take place this spring. Bedford Technology has requested the city establish a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district to financially assist with the public infrastructure expenses related to the project; a public hearing was scheduled for 8 a.m. April 1 at City Hall.
Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh noted later in the meeting the council could be leaning in the direction of showcasing the remainder of the 95-acre-tract as "green," suggesting that businesses interested in developing on the property could get incentives for environmentally friendly efforts, such as utilization of renewable energy. Council members will likely discuss the matter further at a work session tentatively scheduled for 6:30 a.m. March 18.
