City approved development agreement

RIVER FALLS – It looks like the food and beverage offerings in River Falls are about to expand once again.

At the Tuesday, Jan. 25 River Falls City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved a development agreement with LB River Falls, LLC for a brewery, multi-function event space, restaurant and taproom on a 4.3-acre lot north of Tattersall Distilling on Paulson Road. The project will involve constructing a 48,000-square-foot building.

According to a city council memo, in August 2021 AMCON Construction proposed a brewery for the vacant site. AMCON, a full-service design-build, construction management and general contracting firm, plans to lease the building to a regional brewery, which was not named. The brewery, which was established in 2008, will operate a taproom, a multifunction space for public and private gatherings and a restaurant. The memo said the brewery currently has two facilities, but has outgrown those space and

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must contract two-thirds of its production out to other facilities. It currently brews craft beer, hard seltzers and non-alcoholic sodas which are distributed to four states in the Midwest.

“They plan to keep their existing production and taproom operations to act as feeder breweries as products are scaled up, but they are looking to move the majority of their brewing operations to the new River Falls facility,” the memo states.

As part of the agreement, the developer is requesting tax increment financing. The project will start on or after May 1, 2022, with an estimated substantial completion date of Dec. 31, 2023. Development incentives will total approximately $573,000; the minimum taxable value of the property is $4.4 million.

In 2019, Fairview Health Services had planned to build a two-story medical office on the site. However, the company chose to renovate space in the Family Fresh building on Main Street in 2020.

The brewery project has submitted plans, which are going through the review process.

Public comment

Resident and Plan Commission member Patricia LaRue asked to speak during public comment time about her expectations of decorum, respect and responsibility in elected officials. Her comments were directed at Alderperson-at- Large Benjamin Plunkett’s accusations against Mayor Dan Toland at the Jan. 11 River Falls City Council meeting. Plunkett felt Toland was dismissive when introducing a diversity and inclusion presentation in December, and said so last meeting.

“When you take your seat at the council and you lean into your microphone, I expect to hear you doing the city’s business,” LaRue said. “I expect to hear you addressing issues that are common to us as residents. I don’t expect to hear you engage in petty comments and innuendo that serve no purpose other than to burden and harass another elected official. Comments, if genuinely disturbing, should have been addresses professionally and privately. It makes for a toxic atmosphere and makes it uncomfortable for those watching. I expect better.”

Plunkett didn’t address LaRue’s comments, but did tell people to visit covidtests.gov to register for four free at-home Covid tests, that will be shipped to residents from the government.

Other business

•The council appointed new city Finance Director Josh Solinger, who began his new role Jan. 18, as the city treasurer, effective Jan. 25.

•The council awarded a contract to Skid Steer Guy LLC in the amount of $181, 212 for the Troy Street to East Pomeroy Street water main realignment project.

•The council approved The council approved a resolution to amend a development agreement between the city and River Falls QOZB, LLC, which is building an 84-unit senior independent living facility in the 700 block of South Main Street. The LLC is asking for an eight-month extension for the project completion date, changing it from Dec. 31, 2022 to Aug. 1, 2023.

•The council unanimously approved Toland’s reappointment of Jayne Hoffman to the Historic Preservation Commission through January 2025.

•The council approved 6-1 Toland’s appointment of Assistant City Administrator Jason Stroud to replace Amy Peterson on the Housing Authority Board. Alderperson Nick Carow opposed the appointment, not because of Stroud’s qualifications, but because he feels the city should seek out citizen members instead of city employees.

•The mayor proclaimed Jan. 27 as “Big Brothers Big Sisters Thank You Mentor Day.”

A new brewery, multi-function event space, restaurant and taproom is proposed for the 4.3acre lost just north of Tattersall Distilling on Paulson Road. Image courtesy of real estate listing