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Owner of 2316 Commerce Boulevard seeks to buy Outlot B for landscaping, mural and town-center improvements; council asks for clearer plans
Summary
Paula Larson proposed purchasing city-owned Outlot B (Mound Harbor) to install landscaping, benches and a mural and return the parcel to the tax rolls; councilors said they want a more detailed development proposal—especially if the applicant seeks sale rather than minor cosmetic changes.
Paula Larson, owner of 2316 Commerce Boulevard, presented a preliminary concept to the Mountain City Council on April 8 to acquire Outlot B (an L‑shaped parcel in Mound Harbor the city has held for decades) and improve the corner between Commerce Boulevard and Marion Lane with ornamental trees, perennial gardens, benches and a mural.
Larson said the parcel has generated no tax revenue for about 24 years and described three objectives: add landscaping and seating along Commerce Boulevard, reinstall a locally remembered mural, and return the parcel to the property tax roll either through sale or redevelopment. She said she has a title opinion and a preliminary purchase agreement and would pursue additional architectural and site plans if the council were supportive of further review.
Council members and several members of the public urged caution. Commenters including local residents and nearby property owners said the site is a strategic redevelopment parcel and recommended the city seek a commercial or mixed‑use development to expand the tax base rather than selling or permanently converting the parcel to a small park or landscaped corner.
Councilors said they were sympathetic to the desire to beautify downtown, but asked Larson to return with more substantive, concrete proposals — for example, a development plan that addresses parking, utility and long‑term maintenance responsibilities — before the council considered any transfer of city‑owned land. Several council members suggested the city should consider whether the parcel might be more valuable in a larger mixed‑use redevelopment or as part of a negotiated combined project with neighboring property owners.
Larson said she will continue refining her plans and discuss options including retaining ownership while improving the parcel, or pursuing more substantial development in coordination with adjacent owners. The council made no decision and treated the evening as a “council introduction” to the concept rather than a formal action item.
