WATERVILLE — City councilors on Tuesday will consider taking a final vote to approve a tax increment financing district and related plan for an $11 million redevelopment project at the former Seton Hospital at 30 Chase Ave.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at The Center, where councilors also will consider referring to the Planning Board a request to rezone part of 30 Chase Ave. from institutional to downtown industrial, so apartments, commercial offices and warehouse space may be constructed inside the former hospital building.

The meeting will be preceded by an executive session at 6:45 p.m. to discuss labor and real estate negotiations.

Kevin Mattson of Waterville Redevelopment Co. owns the property and developer Tom Siegel of RME Property Consultants, of Topsham, plans to construct 50 one- and two-bedroom apartments in the tower of the building, which is six stories, with most of the units to be two-bedroom. The ground level will accommodate 23,000 square feet of office space and the lower level will provide 35,000 square feet for warehousing and storage.

Councilors on May 3 voted unanimously to approve a tax increment financing district and related development plan for the Chase Avenue project. Approval requires two votes.

The TIF enables the property owner to pay taxes and receive some of that money back as reimbursement. The TIF makes the project more financially feasible and brings needed housing to the city, officials say.

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The TIF would be for 20 years and the average rate of reimbursement over that period is about 50 percent. Siegel plans to start construction in August and complete the project in about 12 months, he said.

In other matters Tuesday, the council will consider accepting the solid waste committee’s recommendation that the city not send its trash to the proposed Fiberight waste-to-energy plant after the city’s contract with Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. expires in 2018.

The resolution to be considered Tuesday says councilors appreciate the work by the Municipal Review Committee to examine solid waste disposal options, but at this time the council and solid waste committee believe it is in the city’s best interest to continue to explore all options.

The council will consider appropriating $7,000 from the police department’s drug forfeiture account to pay for overage costs for the communications tower project. Councilors also will consider selling city-owned property at 9 Abbott St.; approving a food license for Greenfield Investments, which plans to buy Jorgensen’s Cafe downtown; and issuing a secondhand license to Nancy Atkins-Saul, doing business as Retail Therapy Clothing Boutique and Consignment at 11 KMD Plaza.

The council also will take a second, final vote to allow Colby College to install a direct electrical line within parts of the right of way of Washington Street. Colby is installing a solar system on its property in Oakland on the west side of Washington Street that will provide power via the electrical line to a student residential facility on the main campus in Waterville.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17


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