MEMBER EDITORIAL
TIF is good for Goffstown
February 2, 2007

Establishment of a Tax Increment Finance District is a mechanism that the town is intending to use to construct a "service" road so as to take traffic accessing commercial properties off Mast Road onto the service road, thus relieving congestion along the Mast Road and restoring some sense of rural character to the area.  

There are those who believe we are doing it to accommodate developers.  I don't agree.  This road may make additional lands available for development (although very limited due to the topography and wetlands along the proposed route) which is a good thing, but that is not its main purpose.

The main purpose is to improve traffic along Mast Road.

It is true that the increased taxes that result from land being developed within the TIF district will be used to pay off the debt incurred to build the road.  But isn't that a good thing?  We can't attract commercial development without good access, and this provides that access without the town having to pony up the money to construct the road.

I, for one, am in favor of this approach.  It will (most importantly) relieve congestion, and eventually provide additional tax revenue to the town once the debt is paid off, which could happen quickly or not, depending upon how quickly the land is built out.

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