Cornerstone of Centerville proposal would charge annual fee
Feb. 28—CENTERVILLE — A plan is in the works to create a new Cornerstone of Centerville community district with authority to charge property owners an annual fee and have oversight of activities.
The proposed Cornerstone of Centerville Community Development Authority would charge district landowners $750 per acre each year.
It would also provide maintenance and encompass more than half of the property — including residential units — at the 156-acre mixed-use complex off Wilmington Pike near Interstate 675, city records show.
The authority is proposed to include nearly 88 acres — about 20 of which is city park land — but would not include large retailers Cabela's, Costco and Kroger, documents show.
The authority would provide benefit "by the property owners making a contribution the site (and) the park that is a central piece of that entire project up there," Centerville City Manager Wayne Davis said.
The fees would cost the city $15,375 a year and would generate about $66,000 annually throughout the district.
The proposed authority is a joint venture between the city and Cornerstone developer Oberer Companies, Davis said.
It would include several restaurants and other businesses, including Corelife Eatery, First Watch, Firehouse Subs, Cooper's Hawk, and Home2Suites by Hilton, records show.
The district would also involve about 380 residential units, including Cornerstone Apartments, Dogwood Commons and 37 single-family attached units proposed by Oberer, according Centerville Development Director Michael Norton-Smith.
A resolution to help establish the authority was approved by Centerville City Council earlier this month.
A petition to create the district is being circulated by Oberer and includes about 10 property owners, city records show. Oberer officials contacted declined to comment on the proposal.
The petition circulation is expected to take about a month and would be followed by a series of steps — including public meetings — to establish the authority, city officials said.
Centerville officials said they expect it to be created this year.
The authority would be governed by a seven-member board of trustees consisting of "three citizens appointed by city council, three appointed by the developers, and one member appointed by council to serve as a representative of local government," records show.
The annual charges "can be spent on expenses related to the construction, maintenance, and programming of Cornerstone Park" owned by the city, as well as "debt service for financing" as determined by the board, Norton-Smith said in an email.
The authority will provide "community facilities and services," recreational facilities in designated park areas and "entertainment and programing for the public provided in such recreational facilities," according to documents.
But, "at this point, the city is not aware of any entertainment programming planned" by the proposed authority, Norton-Smith said.
