Baymeadows residents plan to pay for infrastructure changes in their community

A big new development is coming to Baymeadows, but it’s neighbors who live there who will pay for it.

On Wednesday, City Councilman Danny Becton and the Baymeadows Community Council held a town hall meeting to talk about the new initiative to improve the community.

Some challenges the community faces, including lighting, sidewalks, and wastewater systems, would all be redesigned in the plan.

Dozens of people showed up to the meeting, and they could see a tax increase between $200 and $600 if they want to see those proposed changes. The amount of the tax increase depends on the type of property owned.

Mary Land-Hughes, who’s the president of the BCC, said the new initiative would allow communities to have the power to change the infrastructure of their communities themselves.

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“It’s something brand new. It’s even new to the city, so we’re all educating ourselves on how this is going to work and benefit our community. Obviously putting it under one umbrella to manage it, to maintain it, rebuild it in places where the roads are deteriorating. The improvement district would cover those things,” Land-Hughes said.

Many neighbors in the community who attended the meeting seem to be in favor of the plan. Next, community leaders plan to take the proposal in front of the City Council to get its opinion and approval on the plans.

Organizers are hoping this initiative can be a model for other communities throughout the city.

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Cox Media Group