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Council approves city acquisition at 429 Riverside, denies downtown first-floor housing request; grants PERA exclusion for city administrator
Summary
The Crookston City Council unanimously approved a resolution to acquire and demolish the flood-damaged property at 429 Riverside Ave., rejected a conditional-use permit to allow first-floor residential units in the Central Business District, and approved an administrative resolution allowing city administrator Jeff Schubert to opt into a defined-contribution plan instead of the PERA coordinated plan.
The Crookston City Council voted on three formal actions during its meeting. The council approved a resolution authorizing the city to acquire and demolish the flood-damaged structure at 429 Riverside Avenue so the property can become city-owned and cleared. Council members said staff will complete documentation and signatures so the property will be transferred out of the resident’s name into city ownership.
A second contested action concerned a conditional-use permit request for Parcel 82.001690 to allow first-floor residential use in the Central Business District. After an extended exchange between staff and the applicant, the motion related to the permit failed on a roll-call vote. Staff had advised that the current Crookston comprehensive plan and zoning generally limit first-floor residential in the Central Business District to upper-floor or PUD-approved situations; council members expressed concern the permit would set a precedent for other downtown properties. The applicant, represented by Andy of UpNorth Investments, said the unit has been vacant about 12–14 years and argued economic necessity, but the council majority recorded votes that resulted in the motion not carrying.
The council also approved a personnel-related resolution allowing city administrator Jeff Schubert to be excluded from the PERA coordinated plan and instead participate in a defined-contribution plan. Schubert described the choice as an administrative option available to certain positions under statute and told council the defined contribution election reduces the city’s matching cost by approximately 1 percentage point.
What happens next: The acquisition resolution for 429 Riverside will proceed through the city’s closing and demolition processes; the conditional-use permit is denied and will require the applicant to seek alternative options or reapply should the council or comp plan change; the PERA election takes effect according to administrative procedures described in the resolution.
