Potential senior living development in Willmar, Minnesota, faces several hurdles

Jul. 25—WILLMAR

— A proposed senior living development that would be located just south of Willmar Avenue Southwest in the park located between Bill Taunton Stadium and CentraCare Therapy Suites faces a number of hurdles as it moves forward.

The Willmar Parks and Recreation Board will conduct a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, in the Willmar Civic Center community room to discuss the project and whether or not to sell the park land needed to accommodate it.

The

Willmar Planning Commission

on Wednesday, July 19, heard about some of the issues the project might present for stormwater management in the area during the "miscellany" portion of the meeting. Miscellany is when Willmar Planning and Development Director Justice Walker informs the commission about potential upcoming projects, as well as gauges their interest in pursuing ordinance or zoning changes that are relevant to the commission.

"Oh, I don't like that idea at all," said Commissioner Stacy Holwerda when Walker brought up the proposed project location on the map. "I already know what they are going to put over there. They're going to complain about the baseball and they are going to complain about the fireworks."

Walker was surprised to learn that Holwerda knew about the project, noting he was trying to be careful about releasing too much information. The project had only been discussed June 20 and July 3 during closed sessions of the

Willmar City Council

.

Minnesota's Open Meeting Law, which generally requires meetings of government bodies to be open to the public, contains limited exemptions for closed sessions, including for determining the price of property; reviewing confidential appraisal data; or to develop or consider offers or counteroffers for the purchase or sale of property. The actual purchase or sale must be approved at an open meeting.

Walker was informed that City Administrator Leslie Valiant had been on KWLM Radio on July 7 talking about the details of the project.

The West Central Tribune on July 13 asked Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission Executive Director Aaron Backman about the project when it was not brought up during the EDC meeting. He was informed that Valiant had reported information about the project to KWLM, but he declined to give any information.

"I'm not going to get into the closed session, because it was a closed session," Backman said. "I guess what I would say is to talk to Leslie on that, because I am going to try to respect the closed session. And then, when it's appropriate to bring it up ... I'm a little bit surprised that she would have broached it at the radio."

The West Central Tribune asked Valiant to provide more information about the project July 17, but she had not responded as of Monday afternoon.

Valiant told KWLM that the city is working on an agreement to sell land to Trident Development, a St. Cloud-based development company, for a two-story assisted living complex with a single-story memory care wing to the south.

The proposed development would be 5.5 acres, which the city would sell for $150,000, according to the KWLM news report. Valiant told KWLM the site chronically floods during rain events and addressing the stormwater requirements as part of the development will help address the flooding issues in the park.

"This would be a real benefit to the city if we had a partner business going into that area, because now the stormwater management becomes part of the development also, and you can stretch the local option sales tax further," Valiant said during the KWLM interview. "If there's costs that the city should be taking on, like on the baseball field sides, then the city could take that on for the improvement that would happen on the other side — either detention ponds or retention ponds — in that big grassy field area there. It helps to have some private dollars that go into these kinds of projects."

It was the stormwater issues that were of most concern for the Planning Commission. Walker noted that all of the stormwater from the Swansson Field Recreational Complex on the north side of Willmar Avenue ends up in the open field that is the park land on the south side of avenue.

"Once it gets developed, it causes an issue for the city, because the city has to incur the cost of the stormwater prevention for this," Walker told the Planning Commission. "One, not cheap, then there's also ... who's going to pay for that?"

He noted that one of the city councilors brought up how the area often has standing water and even showed a picture of his son boating across the standing water in the park.

"If you walk in that park, which I actually do almost every night, you will see that that section of land is significantly lower than the rest of the section of land," said Commissioner Chris Buzzeo. "And, there's even what looks like a reverse golf green where the water comes in, so it's sunken even lower. I would think that engineering would have a cow if anybody talked about ... "

Walker told the commission that it would be non-negotiable that a significant stormwater pond be constructed in conjunction with any development project in that area — and it would cost a significant amount of money.

"We're still trying to wrap our minds around where we are at money-wise for that," he said. "My recommendation (whether or not to move through the approval process for the development) is contingent on (the stormwater management costs) and then other things that we would get on the purchase agreement."

The purchase agreement for the sale of the land has to be approved jointly by the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board. A purchase agreement cannot be approved until the land is subdivided and rezoned, which the Planning Commission would have to approve, according to Walker.

The Planning Commission also approves preliminary and final plats for new developments, and Walker informed the Planning Commission the developer is also seeking tax increment financing to assist in funding the project. The commission will have to approve a conditional use permit for the project.

One thing favorable for the city for the potential sale of the land would be the park dedication fees added for the Parks and Recreation Department. Walker explained that Minnesota State Statute allows for park dedication fees to be charged when land in the city has to be subdivided for development. The fees are put in a fund that can only be used to purchase additional parkland or make improvements to parks by adding amenities. The fees cannot be used for park maintenance.

Walker told the commissioners that the Planning Commission has all the land-use controls in the city, except for parks, which is why the Parks and Recreation Department also has to approve the sale of this acreage.

He also informed the commission that it could decide not to approve any of the things needed to allow this development to move forward, but the decision can be overturned by the City Council if there are five votes to do so — five councilors would have to disagree with the Planning Commission's recommendations. "I think it gets sticky trying to get five, in my opinion," Walker said.