Administrator reports that former hospital building set to be razed Aug. 15

By John McLoone

PRESCOTT – The Prescott City Council moved 3-1 Monday night to have a study con ducted to determine the community need for more senior citizen or multi-family housing.

The study, by WSB Engineering, will cost $6,000. Alderperson Tom Oss was the lone dissenting vote against the study. He voiced the opinion that the city already knows there's a need for such housing, so the study isn't nec – essary.

The housing study concept came to the council at the recommendation of the Prescott Housing Authority, which recommended WSB Engineering at its July 20 meeting. Funding for the study will come from an auordable housing fund that has $310,346 in it. It was set up when the city's Tax Incremental Financ – ing District #3 was closed and had money left over.

• As part of the housing study, WSB will:

• Do a demographic analysis.

• Inventory existing multifamily and senior housing.

• Perform a competitive market reviews.

• Look at possible sites for development.

City Administrator Matt Wolf said there is a parcel on Pine Street adjacent to two Prescott Housing Authority apartment com – plexes. He also shared that the building on the former hospital site that the city ordered raze is scheduled to be torn down on Aug. 15, and that could potentially be a good site for multifamily housing. That building is on Court Street. A St. Paul developer intended to build senior housing at the site, but no project ever got ou the ground. The city council ordered the building razed in June after neighborhood complaints about the state of the building and property. It was also the site of many calls for service to the Prescott Police Department with allegations of illegal activity happening at the vacant building.

Alderperson Bailey Ruona questioned if the study results are going to be used in a time – ly fashion.

"I want to make sure it relates to something we're going to do, not that we're going to do a study, then six years later, the study is out of date so we need to redo it again," she said. "That's my biggest thing is that we have some – thing that we have going on right now. Now's the time. We've got to do it," she said.

Wolf brought up the former hospital site. "Part of the reason it was more forefront in my mind was more so because of the old hospital site. I know they propose that there could be townhomes or duplex townhome units there. That's still an option," he said. "However, I think we have worked with that property owner enough to know that there's no 'for sure,' so there's still an opportunity if that site doesn't move forward. This study would be something we could use to potentially at tract somebody else to that site to hopefully buy from that owner and develop it in the fu- ture. To your point, though, there's no guar –

antee that any developer would actually say, 'I'm going to come develop.' So there's still that possibility that in five years they come back to us and we'd have to look at in terms of updating it." Alderperson Maureen Otwell said she hears a lot about the need for more senior housing in the city.

"I just want to say the most frequently raised question I get is, 'When are we going to have senior housing?'" she said.

Oss explained his opposition. "I just want to bring up the fact that some times some of these studies just turn into situ- ations where the company ouers it to you, and they basically glean information, public infor – mation from the internet, and hand you back the study. That's just one of my concerns. I agree that we need senior housing in Prescott," he said.

He said that studies like this could be bet – ter suited for larger cities, but it's apparent the need already exists in Prescott.

"I think a population that's much higher than we have warrants all of these various studies when the obvious answer is sitting right in front of us," he said.

Plan commission report

Mayor Robert Daugherty gave a report to the council on discussion at the plan commis- sion meeting Aug. 1 about the third phase of the Most Family Great Rivers Subdivision. The city has a north-south arterial route that would tie into Hollister Avenue. If it's built as it exists in the city comprehensive plan, it would have an euect on the planned 49 more units the Mosts would like to develop.

However, planners learned that a bridge over a large ravine to the north of the Most property would need a bridge constructed over it. The price tag for a two-lane bridge was in excess of $10 million and would require a span of 1,000 feet.

It was discussed at the plan commission meeting that the north-south route be moved about a half-mile east for planning purposes. Daugherty described a proposed road that would "go through just east of Vandeberg Acres and come out east of the gravel pit" on Hwy. 10.

He said the issue needs consideration now, even though it may not be developed for 15 years, because of how the Most land is devel- oped.

"We need to remember if we choose to do that and plat it through, we can't go back on it when we approve the next Most phase," he said.

"It's a big decision that's looming in front of us," agreed Oss.

Ruona said the city needs to look at an op – tion that doesn't include a bridge.

"One of the biggest things about bridges is the maintenance," she said. "It would be great to not add something that would add signifi – cant cost long-term for the community. That's my opinion."