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St. Peter council authorizes court action to vacate part of Jefferson Square to enable sale and fund park improvements
Summary
The St. Peter City Council approved a resolution directing the city attorney to seek a district court order to vacate the west 122 feet of Jefferson Square and allow the city to sell the tract, with proceeds earmarked for improvements to Gorman Park.
St. Peter — The City Council on May 12 approved a resolution authorizing the city attorney to file a district court action seeking to vacate the western 122 feet of Jefferson Square and allow the city, as trustee, to sell the tract and apply proceeds to improve Gorman Park.
City attorney Jim recounted the parcel’s history, saying the land was transferred in the 1850s and later dedicated for public purposes. He told the council the portion at issue has been vacant since a small water‑treatment plant there was decommissioned and sealed in 2010 and that the city now lacks practical public use for the strip. "There is little public purpose to it," the attorney said, arguing the trust’s original public‑use purpose is no longer being served and that a court vacation would permit sale and a public‑purpose use of the proceeds.
The attorney warned the legal question is fact‑specific but said his research supports pursuing the court action. Council and staff discussed development constraints and noted that any future development would remain subject to zoning, setback and green‑space rules. A staff member confirmed that any buyer would still need to meet applicable development regulations.
Council member Josh (identified on the record as an attorney) said he would abstain from the vote to avoid the appearance of a legal conflict, stating, "I will be abstaining from this since we are directing legal action and just for an overabundance of caution to not potentially raise any sort of legal conflict." Two council members abstained; the resolution passed.
Why it matters: The action moves toward converting an underused municipal parcel into revenue for Gorman Park rather than leaving it vacant. The city attorney and staff framed the proposal as a way to secure a public‑purpose use for proceeds from private development while preserving the city’s approval authority over any site plan.
The council recorded the resolution as approved and instructed the city attorney to proceed with the court filing. No specific sale price or buyer was specified in the resolution; those details will be developed if and when the court grants the vacation and the city moves to market or negotiate a sale.
