Cape Council says 'satisfactory progress' on downtown TIF; Haskin debuts

Amidst a short and largely uneventful agenda with two Cape Girardeau City Council members on vacation, Kenneth Haskin attended his first meeting as the city's ninth city manager since the position was created in 1966. Haskin succeeds the retired Scott Meyer, who spent 12 years in the job.

Julia Jones was recognized by Mayor Bob Fox for her 10 years service as director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Jones, the great-great-granddaughter of Cape Girardeau Mayor George C. Thilenius, who served the city from 1867 to 1873, will spend her last day on the job July 12.

Downtown TIF

The City Council held a required public hearing on whether "satisfactory progress" is being made on the Redevelopment Project Area One Downtown TIF (tax increment financing) project.

Presented by deputy manager Molly Mehner, council members were reminded a plan was approved in January 2016 covering five redevelopment project areas.

Area One, or RPA-1, was designated as an area for professional office development, dining, hospitality and upper story residential development in order to "positively impact the economic well-being of the downtown."

RPA-1 progress

Area One involved the redevelopment of three venerable buildings.

• Marquette Tower at 338 Broadway, was completed in 2017 and houses the following: Codefi co-working space and technology incubator, Creative Edge, Ground-A-Bout Coffee, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, Cape Girardeau Area Magnet, Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, Top of the Marq, Morningstar Behavior and the Cape Girardeau office of U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt.

The building, Mehner said, is completely full, save for a small suite on the ground floor.

Codefi, which occupies parts of three floors of the tower, reports 60 new companies among its members with 240 new jobs created, said Mehner, who added Codefi's Youth Code League had 50 teams/schools and approximately 500 kids participating this past spring

• H&H Building at 400 Broadway and the Marquette Center at 221 N. Fountain St. together house the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, which opened in November 2018.

Mehner said the hotel has 20 fulltime employees and 19 part-timers and expects 70% room occupancy in 2021.

Council voted unanimously that satisfactory progress on the RPA-1 Downtown TIF Project is being made.

Mayor Bob Fox shakes hands with retiring Parks and Recreation director Julia Jones after she accepted a commemorative plaque for her service during Tuesday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting at City Hall in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

Wayfair

Fox confirmed after the meeting the City Council will hear the first reading July 19 of an ordinance to put a user tax, an internet sales tax, on the November ballot for Cape Girardeau voters to decide -- an initiative made possible by the Missouri General Assembly's approval of Wayfair legislation in May. In the scheduled Aug. 2 meeting, the measure is expected to be taken up for second and third (final) readings.