Both parties agree to continue constructive conversations

By Robert Williams

Editor

The tone of the ongoing conversations between residents of Red Willow Heights and the Frazee Economic Development Authority (EDA) have improved with both sides attempting to find a middle ground on development opportunities in the front of the subdivision on County Highway 29.

After finding little enthusiasm for apartment buildings, members of the EDA approached residents by meeting in small groups to discuss the potential for townhomes. That plan did not gain much momentum, but what brings hope for a future agreement is the manner in which the two sides are meeting.

“The whole idea seems rushed,” said Brian Rossum.

Rossum did much of the speaking for the seven residents in attendance at the city council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Frazee Event Center.

“There are so many questions as to how it’s going to affect the drainage ditch between the two properties, how that’s going to affect the homes backing up to that property, is this going to affect ground coverage laws, again—how much do we have to change the covenants?” said Rossum. “It seems like it is being pushed quickly with not enough information. Many of us have the opinion that there is some kind of deadline that the EDA is up against. It was brought about to us in a much better manner this time, rather than the way it was done in the past, which is much appreciated. This is the path we need to go down to get stuff like this done.”

Rossum noted the development’s desire for more information on infrastructure, snow removal, drainage, parking and/or roads before setting up EDA member and councilman Drew Daggett to respond.

Daggett began by noting the small meetings the EDA has been having are to gather those questions and answer them or find answers to them.

“As far as a deadline, there is no deadline,” Daggett said. “The EDA has a bucket that is leaking so the sooner we can get in there and address it is what our motivation is there.”

Timeliness of the project does have some semblance of urgency due to the fact that developer Jason Francis and his company Turnkey Solutions & Development want to build in Frazee and are willing to put up money to do so.

Many of the former bids to create housing in town through the city or the EDA have been done by developers who wanted a handout from either entity to build here.

Residents easily discarded any plans for two multi-family apartment buildings in January. Francis came back with an offer of townhomes, a 10-unit and an 11-unit. In total, the change would reduce the number of units from 62 in apartments to 21 in townhomes.

Main concerns are high-density impacts on the neighborhood, as well as height requirements. Residents are strongly opposed to any two-level or more construction.

Daggett and fellow EDA liaison to the council Andrea Froeber each discussed the inefficiency of the EDA meeting once a month as it pertains to getting timely and accurate information out to the public. The EDA is also limited legally from gathering or discussing options outside of the monthly meeting.

“It’s a hands-tied thing; sometimes you guys are getting information and I’m seeing information from the paper at the same time as all you,” said Daggett. “Definitely, the small group meetings we’re having are going way better.”

Daggett returned to the timeline questions and laid down a conversation starter for the future.

“Doing nothing isn’t an option,” he said.

Residents are not pro-townhome and are sticking to the covenants they have in the development of current zoning for single-family and/or twin homes.

Daggett discussed how that will be difficult because of the costs of a road that would need to be constructed.

City Administrator Stephanie Poegel cited the increased expense by highlighting preliminary engineering costs on another project in town that needs road and infrastructure work. Residents involved with that project are seeing a preliminary assessment of $65,000 for a 100-foot lot without any government assistance.

“When you’re doing repairs there’s public finance funding available to help bring that cost down,” said Poegel. “When you’re putting in new infrastructure, there is no assistance.”

That road assessment would definitively hit new buyers into the development and depending on the location of the road could extend to current residents.

One benefit of multi-family construction would be the removal of that road expense through the use of parking lots and garages, along with maintenance and such things like snow removal would be up to the owner. Townhomes would likely take care of such services through a Home Owners Association (HOA).

The only way to construct a through-road is to build it on the back side of the lots, away from County Highway 29, due to the holding pond constructed in the middle of the four lots.

“The way that holding pond is set the only way a road can go all the way across is in the back,” said Poegel.

Rossum noted residents had held a meeting of their own and understood that the lots were created to have something developed there.

“At this time, with what has been proposed, there are too many open questions,” he said. “We are not in a place right now, as a group, to jump on board. We would just as soon have our covenants stay the same as they are now and continue to look at other avenues.”

Poegel directed discussions away from city council meetings and more to the smaller settings with EDA members.

Red Willow resident Traci Totland asked if there were discussions on any other locations for the proposed apartment buildings. 

The council is meeting with Turnkey this week to discuss future development at the well-known open lot by Dollar General. That is different from any EDA project because the land is city-owned, not EDA-owned, like the Red Willow lots.

“We are going to meet next week with Jason and discuss what could be done there,” said Mayor Mike Sharp.

Totland continued a lengthy discussion on costs associated with the four lots with Daggett, Poegel and Mayor Sharp. The mayor reiterated the parcels have to be developed, to which Totland fully agreed in a positive manner.

“Just finding a solution that works for everyone,” Sharp said. “It’s important for our tax base too because costs go up and if you don’t grow your tax base those expenses get passed on to residents and your taxes go up. We’re trying to grow our tax base to avoid having to increase the levy on everyone else.”

Another option for the Red Willow parcels is potentially rezoning to commercial construction.

“The risk with that is now there is really not a whole lot of say as to what you can build and how they can build it,” said Daggett. “If someone wants to come in and build a 30-foot quonset and run a business out of it there’s not something that you guys or us had in control anymore.”

Council member Jim Rader, speaking on behalf of the council and not a member of EDA, encouraged both sides to continue the conversations.

“Keep going,” he said. “As council members, we only want the best for this town. That’s as sincere as I can be. We’re going to do the best we can to try to help this town. We haven’t hardly seen any growth, other than our downtown growth.”

Rader also discussed the need county-wide for more housing and why that is pushing members of the city and EDA to look for more options. 

The 30-minute exchange ended with both parties acknowledging the improved communication on both ends and a light-hearted comment from Rossum on future development.

“I would rather see something go in there than the dandelion farm there is now,” he said.