Requested annexations for planned travel plaza north of I-70 at Exit 157
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Six properties owned by five entities are marked for annexation into the city of Hays for a proposed travel plaza to be built on the west side of town.
Hays city commissioners will consider the annexation requests during their Tuesday meeting. The commission will meet Tuesday rather than Thursday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
The five owners requesting annexation are Ellis County, Celebration Church of Hays, Doonan Peterbilt, City of Hays and Hess Land LLC.
If annexation is approved, the developer plans to "extend city water and sewer mains as well as making improvements to 230th Avenue, 55th Street and streets internal to the project that will allow access to the new commercial development," Jesse Rohr, public works director, told commissioners last week.
Annexation would also allow creation of a proposed Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) for improvements to 230th Avenue adjacent to the development.
A TIF sets the property value on the land at its pre-development rate, with the additional tax revenue created by the value of buildings and businesses (the “increment”) used to pay for infrastructure and other capital costs.
The Ellis County Commission must also approve the annexations, except for the city of Hays tract.
"I'm really excited about this," said Mayor Henry Schwaller.
A similar project was presented to the city several years ago but was never built.
"The prior applicant refused to fill out the application," Schwaller recalled. "He also refused to submit any financial records.
"In order to get these tax advantages that will come with this development, they have to demonstrate they need the money."
Schwaller also addressed what he said are false rumors about his involvement in the previous applicant's activities.
"Two businessmen are saying I single-handedly stopped development of it. ... They've been using the rumor to hurt me here [on the city commission] and my business [property rentals] as well," Schwaller said.
"One commissioner does not have power to stop a business. We have received emails, even in the last few months, asking us to stop competition for particular businesses. Our response to them is we cannot regulate what comes in and what doesn't come in.
"In fact, we want more businesses.
"I'm very proud of this development and the developers," Schwaller concluded, "and I appreciate the work Grow Hays has done as well as Jesse [Rohr] and the city attorney, [John Bird].
"It's taken a real 'all-hands-on-deck' effort to make this happen."
Final city action on all the tracts is expected to be Dec. 12.
Other Nov. 26 agenda items include:
- Eminent domain ordinance for properties related to North Vine Street Corridor improvement project
- 2019 waterline improvements bid award
- Diamond grinding bid award
- Changes to the Unified Development Code that would reduce minimum lot sizes minimum street frontage, remove the minimum 3 acre lot requirement for a hotel/motel, and allow limited on-street parking to be counted towards total parking requirements.