Fuller House will be donating a home in the neighborhood

By Robert Williams

Editor

Stacy and his son Scott Seim inquired about potential purchases of lots in the Red Willow Heights subdivision for the purpose of building single-family residential or twin homes. Specifically, the Seims were looking at the front lots of the neighborhood.

Approximately 60 percent of the lots have been sold. Historically, the city preferred more sales to be completed at the back of property prior to selling the front lots along County Highway 29.

The Seims looked at available lots in the southwest corner of the subdivision in Red Willow Circle, noting the lots are small for what they have planned.

Those lots (5-10) are meant for twin homes. Two of the lots are going to be combined into one to be donated to Fuller House (formerly Habitat for Humanity).

Fuller House will build a new house in Red Willow Heights for a family in need, and they also will work with five homes to provide up to $5,000 in needed repairs, according to EDA Consultant Karen Pifher. 

Specific eligibility requirements and income guidelines must be met to qualify.

They are accepting applications now. Applications can be picked up at 305 West Main Street in Frazee.

The Seims preliminary plans include a house(s) valued from $250-350,000 and to be for sale not rent.

Stacy Seim noted their desire for the front lots is due to the lots being significantly larger in size than any in the rest of the development.

“They’re roughly twice the size of the larger ones that are still available,” he said.

The lots come with a few issues. There is currently no road access and Becker County has already blocked access directly from County 29. An access road along the back of the lots (10-14) will need to be put in and it remains unclear if electricity has been run to each of the lots.

The front lots were initially intended for apartments or multi-family housing when the development was created, according to EDA member Heath Peterson.

The EDA is going to create a subcommittee and include Public Works Supervisor Larry Stephenson to continue discussions and explain the specifics of access to each of the lots.

Overall, the EDA has been against allowing single-family homes in the front lots. The Seims stated they were interested in other lots or combining smaller lots.

The EDA has the following contingencies prior to completing a purchase agreement: 

• Letter of Guarantee: A bank letter of commitment to finance construction of a new single-family dwelling, or a buyer letter of commitment showing proof of cash reserves necessary for construction.

• An earnest money requirement payment of 20 percent of the sale price of the lot (non-refundable, remainder due at closing).

• A site plan/survey and model home plans including minimum size footprint of home to be constructed. 

• Construction Schedule: Construction must begin within 12 months of the closing date or property ownership reverts to the EDA.

The EDA received four proposals from area realtors to represent Red Willow lots: Dakota Plains Realty; Brandenburg Crew-EXP Realty; Counselor Realty and Counselor Realty of Detroit Lakes – Paula Okeson. The EDA is reviewing those proposals to make a decision on who will replace the current representative at the end of the year.

The city is also requesting proposals (RFP) for housing developers with experience in multi-family development in rural communities, coupled with professional management capacity or in partnership with a professional firm. The Mikkelsen site is owned by the city and is 4.05 acres, located next to the Dollar Store and near other multi-family and senior living.

Community Club

Pifher shared some highlights of her company Creative Community Consulting’s work together with the Community Club over the past year:

There are 13 people on the Community Club board compared to five in 2023.

Sponsorship from businesses was less than $1,000 in 2023. It is at $8,800 this year and that funding is being used for the Frazee marketing plan that will begin in January, providing new print materials for the city, a new website video and rebuild and other marketing materials.

A fundraiser was used for signage and the kiosk at Wannigan Park to be completed next summer.

The downtown mural project continues to move forward with an RFP for artists coming in 2025 plus a $10,000 grant received from Artists on Main through West Central Initiative and Springboard for the Arts. The grant will be used for smaller art projects downtown throughout the year. More funding will be applied for in the spring.

“Our fundraising is going really well; we have five subcommittees right now working on several different things,” Pifher said.

One popular project that is in the works is bringing a splash pad to Frazee next year.

“There is a lot more excitement and involvement; it’s very positive,” said EDA and Community Club member Ashley Renollet.

The club is also working with four students who are leading a capital campaign to bring four pickleball courts to Frazee. The courts are planned to be located on school property so both groups will be meeting with the school board to move that project forward.

Downtown retail

The design of the interior of the downtown retail building housing two new businesses in 2025 needs an architectural signoff of the design contracts that are completed. Once approved, hopes are that RFPs can be issued in December for future construction. One of the future business owners, Karey Smagacz, wants to have her space completed and business open by May.

Creative Community Consulting

The EDA agreed to a new contract with Creative Community Consulting as the city’s economic development consultants. The cost remains the same as last year, including the company’s hundreds of donated hours.

EDA open positions

Aside from two City Council Liaison seats, there are two open seats on the EDA. There is a three-year, full-term seat and a one year seat to replace Ted Anderson.