Le Mars council approves Dogwood Fourth final plat, sets rezoning hearing; discusses cost-sharing for Dogwood Fifth

Le Mars City Council voted May 6 to adopt Resolution 25-17, approving the final plat and restrictive covenants for Dogwood Fourth Edition, a 31-lot subdivision proposed for single-family (R-1) zoning, and approved a development agreement for the project. Council also set a public hearing for 12 p.m. May 20 to rezone Dogwood Fourth from agricultural to R-1 single-family residential.

The move follows a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and a staff report that described a standard city cost-sharing arrangement for infrastructure. According to the materials presented to council, the city's share of infrastructure for Dogwood Fourth was estimated at $439,000, reflecting the council's typical 50% cost-share of sanitary sewer mains, water mains and storm sewer.

Council members spent more time discussing a separate nearby proposal, Dogwood Fifth Edition, a 22-lot subdivision proposed for R-1A medium-density residential zoning. That item remains under discussion: the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the final plat, but council members emphasized they needed written assurance that a portion of the adjacent property would be deeded to the city as a public park before agreeing to share certain paving costs.

On Dogwood Fifth, staff said the city's estimated cost for required infrastructure would be $415,144.75. The developer asked the city to share, at 50%, the cost of paving a portion of the street (total paving cost for the full street was presented as $358,655). Council members calculated that paying 50% of the entire paving cost would equal about $179,327; an alternative split limited to the portion adjacent to the future park (about 52% of the paving) would be roughly $94,006.84 to the city.

Several council members said they would support sharing the paving cost for the segment that bounds the future park but warned the council must avoid setting an open-ended precedent for future developers. Council members requested written confirmation that the park property would be deeded to the city; staff and the developer agreed that a written commitment should be in place before finalizing any cost-sharing agreement.

Council members and staff also discussed incentives to accelerate building on platted lots, including proposals to waive certain payback obligations for buyers who break ground quickly and the possibility of minimum assessment agreements to spur construction. Staff said they would consult with LBIC and return to council with a funding proposal in a few months.

Next steps: Dogwood Fourth is scheduled for a May 20 public hearing to consider rezoning, and the development agreement for the Fourth Edition will return for council action. For Dogwood Fifth, staff is to draft a development agreement and secure written assurances about the park dedication before any agreement for paving cost-sharing is finalized.