Development clears an important hurdle
It was another step up the ladder toward long-awaited progress in the Lakeview Residential Renaissance Zone, as members of the Rogers City Council Monday followed the recommendation of the Planning Commission and approved the Planned Unit Development. The project would include 20 parcels of land along Lakeview Avenue, and city officials hope there will be 20 new homes constructed on them in the very near future.
There is a chance the city is going to be able to turn over the land to a local developer, when it had appeared interested parties were only coming from outside of the Rogers City vicinity. A purchase agreement between the Rogers City Group Inc. and the city was to be on the agenda of the Community Development Authority meeting Wednesday morning.
The CDA has been in the process of developing the Lakeview Residential Renaissance Zone, hoping a developer would emerge. The Lakeview Residential Renaissance Zone comes with the unique incentive of being tax free for nearly a decade and a half. But getting to the point where the first concrete is poured to form a foundation has been a long and tedious process for city staff members.
THE HANG-UP continues to be the environmental work, which assistant city manager John Bruning said is close to being approved by the Department of Environmental Quality.
?With the ongoing environmental processes, and things of that nature, it?s taking much longer than anticipated,? said Bruning. ?We weren?t sure how that all would unfold.?
?The DEQ is ready to authorize the baseline environmental assessment for that,? said Bruning, ?and I think in order to facilitate an agreement with a local group, and to get the development off the ground, so-to-speak, I think it?s prudent to act on the approval at this point.? Council was unanimous in its support of the planning commission recommendation, but Deb Greene, serving as mayor pro-tem, expressed a concern about the lack of green spaces in the development.
?THEY DON?T have much of a yard, so a green space would be for picnic tables or playground equipment,? said Greene. ?When we go and visit other cities, they are really proud of their green spaces. I think green space is really important and I was wondering if those were built in there somewhere.? Bruning and Rob Fairbanks, attending his final city council meeting as city manager, said there are areas listed as ?expandable future? in the plans, which could be potential locations
?Something could be designed into that,? said Bruning. ?I think it should be noted (the development property) is adjacent to North Shore Park, so there is park access to the trail linkage system.? Greene said parents are not going to want their children traveling to the end of the block, but would much rather see them in the yard.
?I just hope in the future they do have some green spaces in there and that they don?t build on every single piece of property there,? said Greene. The longest-serving member of the council, and oftentimes the most outspoken, paused several seconds before voting ?yes.?
AS A PART of cleanup work by the city, council set a public hearing date of May 5 for the vacation of a portion of Birchwood Avenue in the development. A resolution needs to be recorded at the PI County Courthouse, Fairbanks said. I