Project provides low-income housing in Alexandria

At its Monday meeting, the Alexandria City Council set a public hearing for Oct. 9 to consider the request.

Unique Development LLC is proposing to eventually build four 15,000-square-foot buildings on McKay Avenue, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Each building would house six three-bedroom units, five four-bedrooms and one five-bedroom.

The TIF that's being requested is only for the first phase of the project. The total cost of all four phases would amount to $6 million.

The apartments would be available for households with incomes that are 60 percent or less than Douglas County's median income. Also, restrictions will be placed on the rents so they won't exceed those allowed by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, according to Nicole Fernholz, director of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission.

The property is owned by LifeRight Outreach, a nonprofit organization, and is currently tax-exempt. The development would increase the value of the land and building to $1.3 million, Fernholz said.

The developers requested tax assistance for 18 years. Since the property is already tax-exempt, no property taxes would be collected during that time, saving the developers a projected $122,000, which must be used to help cover the costs of developing the land.

In their TIF application, the developers, Samuel and Patrick Herzog and Troy Johnson, all from Fergus Falls, noted that Alexandria has very few large affordable housing units.

"This project will draw larger families into the community that may not be prepared to purchase a home at the time of their moving," they stated. "It will allow a family with children to transition into putting roots down in the community and look for their Alexandria 'forever' home while still working for a local company."

If the financing is approved, the project could begin this fall and wrap up next May.

Special events

The council issued special event permits for the following activities:

-- Faith Rose 5K Infant and Pregnancy Awareness Walk Run on Oct. 7 from 7 to 11 a.m. at City Park.

--Minnesota Senior Men's Amateur Baseball Association State Tournament at Knute Nelson Memorial Park on Aug. 18-20. The Alexandria Youth Baseball Association requested the permit. Garden Center will provide food and alcohol.

--End the Silence 5K, sponsored by the Community Suicide Awareness and Education Group, on Sept. 23 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Alexandria YMCA.

--Run for the Cops Family Fun 5K Walk/Run on Aug. 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office watershed building.

Ordinance changes

The Alexandria City Council took final action on three ordinances.

A dance ordinance was eliminated. Last tweaked in 1992, it required people to get a license if they hold public dances that require dancers to pay a fee. Other rules prohibited alcohol, prostitutes, and inebriated persons from attending and require a police officer to be present.

The city now issues special event permits for dances and events and outdoor music is addressed in the city's noise ordinance.

Changes were also approved for an ordinance that loosens the rules for parking on grass in the front, rear or side yards of single and two-family homes. Vehicles and equipment may now be parked or placed on grass areas in rear yards as long as they're not closer than 5 feet to a property line.

Council member Todd Jensen noted that in the city right now, there are probably about 200 vehicles illegally parked on grass. Under the modified ordinance, there wouldn't be as many violations.

Also, new rules are now in place for people want to hold, carry or wear signs on city property. A permit isn't needed as long as they express noncommercial messages that are within the protection of the First Amendment.

The signs must be held by a person or personally attended; inanimate signs that are left unattended may not be displayed regardless of the type of message.

A more controversial ordinance — one that would ban the drilling of new private wells — is scheduled to be on the council's agenda for Aug. 28. On a 3-2 vote, it received preliminary approval at the council's July 24 meeting.

New ramps on Geneva Road

New ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act will soon be built on the bicycle/pedestrian trail along Geneva Road, between Birch Avenue and County Road 73.

The city completed the reconstruction work on Geneva last year but recently learned that the ramps on both ends of the project have to be redone because of a recent change in accessibility requirements.The work will correct the grade and cross-slope where the ramps transition to the paved trail. About 50 feet of the trail on each end will be reconstructed.

The cost is about $11,500 and will be covered through state and federal funds. The work will take place this fall.

Rest area improvements?

Improvements are being planned for the Lake Burgen rest area — but they're five to eight years down the road.

City staff recently met with representatives with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and learned that money has been set aside for rest area projects. The state's new model for rest areas is to make them appear more like a visitor center than simply a rest area.