City of Richland Center representatives presented a concept for a 17‑lot subdivision on campus property northwest of Simons and described a Bierbicker Engineering estimate of about $2.1 million to make the site development‑ready. City representatives said the infrastructure grant (a HUD‑connected award originally tied to a hospital project) must be used for infrastructure and could expire if not applied to construction soon.

"If we don't get it placed, 1.5 million is gonna evaporate," a city representative said, urging the county to move infrastructure work forward even before a single developer is locked in. The city argued that putting utilities and roads in place is the most effective way to attract developers and reduce per‑lot infrastructure costs; the engineering estimate translates to roughly $117,000 of infrastructure cost per lot using the suggested lot layout.

Committee members and presenters discussed lot sizes (125 by 100 feet in the packet example), density options, potential ways to lower price points (modular construction, subsidies, smaller lot sizes or lot‑line housing), and utility constraints (a top portion of the map was labeled "no water" because of elevation and pressure concerns). Nonprofit housing providers and local builders described modular or subsidized approaches that could produce homes in price ranges cited during the discussion.

Timing and actions: City staff said the grant agreement and HUD processes mean the money must be committed soon; they proposed moving the package to Executive & Finance with full county board consideration to authorize the application and next steps. The committee voted to forward the concept to Executive & Finance (scheduled Jan. 13) while several members warned that the holiday period may limit the time available to assemble complete information.

Why it matters: The proposal pairs county‑owned land, city infrastructure funding and developer interest to try to deliver new housing near schools and existing utilities. Committee members stressed traffic and safety concerns at the nearby high‑school intersection and asked for careful planning for stormwater, emergency access and long‑term maintenance responsibilities.

Next steps: The city and county will continue drafting application language, confirm the grant timeline with HUD, refine engineering work, and bring more detailed cost and design information to Executive & Finance and the county board.