Being intentional about analyzing the real value a development brings versus what it may cost in the long run can help a small town stay financially solvent, according to John Pattison, community builder for Strong Towns, a non-profit advocacy organization.
“We believe that financial solvency is a prerequisite for long-term prosperity. We believe towns have to be obsessive about doing the math on new and proposed development for the short and long term,” he said.
Pattison was a featured speaker at the Taylor Chamber of Commerce Gear Up for Growth Symposium April 23.
His message fell on ready ears. Some believe Taylor is at a point where decisions made now during this heated growth phase can have generational repercussions.
“You are in such an amazing position as a community. You do not have to go out and look for the next economic windfall for your community. It’s coming. It’s here,” Pattison said. “You have this amazing opportunity now to be thoughtful and strategic about the growth that is coming.”
Having a firm hand on the reins and controlling growth was an oft-repeated theme of the symposium.
Ben White, president and CEO of Taylor Economic Development Corp, said that understanding the kind of growth that aligns with Taylor’s values can ensures that new opportunities contribute to the well-being of the town.
“This will involve promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, creating a sense of place and history, having parks and other amenities, ensuring we have proper water, health care, childcare and investing in education and skill development to prepare people for the new opportunities,” White said.
That goes hand-inhand with what Pattison is preaching. His organization advocates for cities to be safer, more livable, more inviting and more resilient.
“We believe the people who know what we need for our community are the people who live and work in those communities,” he said.
One way Strong Towns helps cities evaluate growth opportunities is by putting a dollar value on the productivity, or potential productivity, of their land. Pattison compared the “value per acre” of the Walmart Supercenter at 3701 N. Main St. and several small businesses in downtown Taylor.
He said that the 17.3acre Walmart site has a market value of 12.8 million and paid about $137,000 in taxes to the city and county in 2023.
“For that Walmart, it ends up being about $7,800 in taxes per acre and it has a value per acre of about $732,000. Compare that with Netta’s Nook downtown at 317 N. Main St. Netta’s Nook has a value per acre of $5.8 million. Taxes per acre are $123,000. Netta’s Nook is a financial powerhouse,” the advocate said.
Pattison explained that the difference is the historic city development model with walkable neighborhoods versus the suburban expansion model of city growth. Strong Towns urges cities to consider infill development over suburban growth when possible.
Infill is a tenet of Taylor’s comprehensive plan, and the city currently has at least two developers with infill projects in the works.
“It’s like making sure you save your allowance instead of spending it all at once, so you’ll have enough money for important things later on,” City Manager Brian LaBorde said. “Strong Towns encourages cities to grow in a smart way, focusing on things like maintaining roads and buildings instead of constantly building new ones. It’s about using our resources wisely and making sure our communities can thrive for a long time.”
Taylorites tend to agree. Social media pages and city council meetings are frequented by residents asking when their streets will be fixed. The city has faced issues with decaying wastewater lines and crumbling sidewalks as well, much of it due to not having the budget to perform all the maintenance.
“Your goal in Taylor is to survive. What we recommend cities do is devote 90 to 95% of their public investment to maintenance, to maintaining and preserving what they already have. We maintain the things we love,” Pattison said. Devoting more finances to maintenance means being selective about development and incentives. Pattinson said his organization believes that long term prosperity begins with financial solvency, and that ties directly into land use.
“Land is the base resource from which community prosperity is built and sustained and it can’t be squandered – we have to be so thoughtful about how we use our land,” Pattison said.
Tia Rae Stone, president and CEO of the Taylor Chamber of Commerce, agreed that it is important to not let an onslaught of development control Taylor’s
path. “If we don’t think about growth, if we don’t have a fundamental understanding of what we want our community to be, then we won’t have any control over it,” she said. “We won’t let Taylor stay Taylor.”
