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City manager outlines Van Camp building sale, water-plant study and March marijuana mapping workshop
Summary
City manager reported Joe Nehaas purchased the Van Camp building with plans for retail and loft renovation, said the water plant study favors a new plant unless a competitively priced purchase option appears, and announced engineers will correct errors in the marijuana eligibility map ahead of a March 7 work session.
City manager gave multiple administrative updates during the meeting, including a downtown property sale, an ongoing water-plant feasibility study and scheduling details for marijuana zoning maps.
Joe Nehaas recently closed on the Van Camp building at North Walnut and Macomb; the buyer plans to remove the green facade, restore the exterior and renovate the interior with ground-floor restaurant or retail and upper-floor residential lofts. The city manager said the change would add small retail/restaurant spaces and residential units to downtown.
On the water plant study, staff said preliminary work makes a ‘‘very solid case’’ for constructing a new plant rather than continuing repairs on the existing facility, but added that the analysis has not yet fully incorporated the cost of purchasing water from the Great Lakes Water Authority. ‘‘To make an intelligent decision on such a large capital expenditure, we need to know the cost of that alternative as well,’’ the city manager said.
Regarding marijuana zoning and licensing, staff distributed a draft map and found errors on the version based on 500-foot buffers; engineers will prepare corrected maps showing both 500-foot and 1,500-foot options and staff plans to post the corrected draft in the agenda area before the March 7 workshop. Commissioners requested a parcel listing on the map to clarify how many potential license sites exist.
Commissioners also discussed Kearns Center programming and the need for a single anchor partner; the Boys & Girls Club declined and the city is exploring month-to-month lease options with other local partners. The commission asked staff to draft interim agreements and return with recommended terms.
