Eau Claire RDA approves public access agreement for small Gibson Street parcel

The Eau Claire Redevelopment Authority on June 18 authorized the executive director to enter into a public access agreement for a short section of Gibson Street located on an RDA-owned parcel east of Dewey Street.

The agreement covers a small, oddly shaped parcel left over from an earlier Soo Line project and is intended to clear access for the nonprofit Western Dairyland as it takes ownership of adjacent property now being redeveloped. Staff described the action as a “cleanup” step to resolve a gap in the public access easement so the new owner can use the road as an access point while longer-term ownership or right-of-way options are reviewed.

Staff said the formal easement document has not yet been drafted; approval authorizes staff to prepare a standard public-access template and sign once complete. The RDA indicated the easement will be written so the public may pass through the area and that the parcel could later be converted to a permanent right-of-way or transferred to city ownership.

A board member read the motion to authorize the executive director to enter a public access agreement for the section of Gibson Street on the RDA parcel east of Dewey Street; another member moved the motion and a second was recorded. The board voted by voice; the chair announced the motion accepted.

The board also discussed other small parcels in the same block that remain on RDA rolls but are functionally unused. Staff said those parcels could be considered later for transfer or other cleanup actions.

The RDA’s action addresses an immediate access concern for the incoming property owner; staff will return with the drafted easement and any recommended long-term disposition when those analyses are complete.