Waite Park OKs road extension for hotel development
WAITE PARK — Waite Park is moving forward on a development plan for two hotels south of Minnesota Highway 23.
Waite Park City Council approved Oct. 5 transferring up to $2.6 million of sales tax funds to pay for a portion of the right-of-way costs associated with the extension of 17th Avenue South.
Development plans include building a Staybridge Suites and Holiday Inn on an 18-acre property south of the newly constructed Parkway Drive, which is southwest of Menards and west of BioLife Plasma Services.
The road is partially completed, according to Shaunna Johnson, city administrator for Waite Park. But the road must connect to Stearns County Road 137 to the south in order to be in compliance with Minnesota Department of Transportation policies, she said.
“They control access onto the (Highway 23) roadway,” Johnson said of MnDOT. “In order for us to be able to keep a full access interchange at Highway 23, we had to have the road connected all the way to (County Road) 137.”
To create the necessary right-of-way, City Council gave approval for the city to purchase part of the property at 511-17th Ave. S for $275,000, as well as $925 in relocation costs for a tenant at the Sis Upholstery property on County Road 137. The City Council has also approved relocation costs for other tenants of the property at previous meetings.
Johnson said the city is in negotiations to purchase the Sis Upholstery property, which could be used as parking for a possible amphitheater or public works building.
“That roadway will serve the development,” Johnson said of 17th Avenue South. “It will also serve for the future park area and the future potential public works site.”
Reported: SCtimes.com
Waite Park City Council approved Oct. 5 transferring up to $2.6 million of sales tax funds to pay for a portion of the right-of-way costs associated with the extension of 17th Avenue South.
Development plans include building a Staybridge Suites and Holiday Inn on an 18-acre property south of the newly constructed Parkway Drive, which is southwest of Menards and west of BioLife Plasma Services.
The road is partially completed, according to Shaunna Johnson, city administrator for Waite Park. But the road must connect to Stearns County Road 137 to the south in order to be in compliance with Minnesota Department of Transportation policies, she said.
“They control access onto the (Highway 23) roadway,” Johnson said of MnDOT. “In order for us to be able to keep a full access interchange at Highway 23, we had to have the road connected all the way to (County Road) 137.”
To create the necessary right-of-way, City Council gave approval for the city to purchase part of the property at 511-17th Ave. S for $275,000, as well as $925 in relocation costs for a tenant at the Sis Upholstery property on County Road 137. The City Council has also approved relocation costs for other tenants of the property at previous meetings.
Johnson said the city is in negotiations to purchase the Sis Upholstery property, which could be used as parking for a possible amphitheater or public works building.
“That roadway will serve the development,” Johnson said of 17th Avenue South. “It will also serve for the future park area and the future potential public works site.”
Reported: SCtimes.com
