The planned Good Life District (Woodsonia Real Estate Inc., courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – Final vote results from the City of Grand Island’s Good Life District special election were released Wednesday, August 21.
A total of 7,496 votes were cast: 5,049 in favor and 2,418 against. Voter turnout was 28 percent.
With the creation of the Good Life District, the Nebraska Department of Revenue will reduce the state sales tax in the Good Life District from 5.5 percent to 2.75 percent. The state sales tax reduction will take effect on October 1.
The Good Life District encompasses approximately 875 acres in northwest Grand Island and generally includes the properties bordering Highway 281 from 13th Street to West Capital Avenue and the undeveloped area northeast of North Webb Road and West Capital Avenue extending to and including the existing Veterans Athletic Complex. The Good Life District does not include the property of the former Nebraska Veterans Home.
Grow Grand Island held an informational meeting on the proposal on July 31. Tonja Brown, chair of Grow Grand Island, said she sees the Good Life District as a quality of life issue and a way to attract young families to Grand Island. She said the Good Life District will generate more tourism, which will lead to increased tax revenue.
The Tax Office has informed the City that the net taxable sales in the approved Good Life District in 2023 are $286,737,879. Based on this information, if the Good Life District had existed in 2023, the City would have been able to recoup 2.75 percent, or $7,885,292, from existing retail sales within the recently approved boundaries. A Good Life District exists for 30 years.
According to the website goodlifegi.org, projects planned for the area include a large indoor sports facility, a multi-purpose sports facility with artificial turf, a commercial/business park, single-family homes, multi-family housing and improvements to Eagle Scout Lake.
Woodsonia Real Estate of Elkhorn has applied to the Nebraska Department of Commerce to establish a Good Life District. Woodsonia’s application was officially approved by the Department of Commerce on June 5. In June, the Grand Island City Council approved a special election to establish a local economic development program for a Good Life District.
