Word on the street is that the proposed Downtown Development District in Hopkins Township on the west side of the U.S.-131 freeway is facing massive opposition.

The Hopkins Township Board had a special public meeting Wednesday evening on proposed ordinance to adopt a Downtown Development Authority to oversee the district, which is planned for the north-south corridor along 12^th Street from the Wayland exit (No. 64) to the Bradley exit (No. 61).

The DDA would govern about a dozen properties on 12^th Street west of of U.S.-131 in Hopkins Township that have petitioned for sanitary sewer and water services extension from the City of Wayland through annexation.

Residents earlier this year week filed petitions in Lansing seeking annexation. Grand Rapids area Realtor Brian Silvernail filed the petition on behalf of the residents, who local officials say have indicated interest in being annexed to get extension of sewer and water.

However, in Wednesday night’s public session, which was a virtual meeting conducted over the phone, the overwhelming public consensus was in opposition to the idea.

Wayland City Manager Joshua Eggleston said the city thus far has chosen to take a neutral position on the issue.

The DDA would prompt a tax increment financing mechanism to permit capturing added tax revenue from incremental growth of local property taxes over a period of time to fund public infrastructure improvements. The taxes would have otherwise been paid to entities such as the library, community college and county, and instead they will be used for public improvements in targeted areas.

By borrowing against the future tax increments, the DDA can fund large-scale projects for new development opportunities within the district. The DDA structure also creates a public board dedicated to downtown improvements.