Cypress Creek TIRZ

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http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?new...32256&rfi=6

Proposed management district moves ahead with changes

By:Brandon De Hoyos, Staff Writer01/02/2007

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The Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, along with a number of other community leaders is moving ahead in the new year on a proposal the group says could contribute to quality of life and marketing the area for its growing amenities.

The Cypress Creek Management District would operate with a board of directors whose primary goal would be to look at specific local needs and to protect, preserve and promote the area, according to a HNWCC press release.

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The district would concentrate primarily on four concerns, including transportation and mobility improvements; security and public safety enhancements; aesthetic improvement of the local environment; and business and economic development.

The board, representing residents and commercial property owners, would decide which public services and improvements the district would provide based on the Service and Improvement Plan and Assessment Plan, a multi-year list of goals adopted by the board.

The result, the Chamber said, is a better quality of life and promotion of the area for its residents and businesses.

"With its ability to undertake comprehensive planning and public projects, a municipal management district can help us make our area safer, cleaner, more accessible, more beautiful and more user-friendly," the Chamber said. "A municipal management district would help us center our resources on the aggressive pursuit of economic development in order to create opportunities for all our citizens."

Funds for programs and projects would be taken primarily from an annual assessment on the value of land and improvements for commercial properties, although the assessment rate has yet to be determined.

Most management districts in Harris County have an assessment rate of between nine and 15 cents per $100 in valuation and are based on the prior year's property values.

The first municipal management district was created in 1987 to service the Galleria area and has since been followed by the creation of more than 20 other established districts, serving area interests in The Woodlands, Midtown, the East End and Greenspoint.

For more information on the project, visit the Chamber's Web site at www.houstonnwchamber.org.