By Kim McDarison
The Whitewater Community Development Authority (CDA) last week “voted to engage in the process of acquiring parcels along Jefferson Street, near downtown Whitewater,” for the purpose of partnering with a local developer “with the intention of locating the Whitewater Grocery Co-op on the site along with at least one other business in a newly developed building,” according to information released Friday by Whitewater City Manager John Weidl.
The information was included in a memo to the city’s common council and staff published Friday, and subsequently shared by the city on Facebook.
The action, as described in the memo, took place during a CDA meeting held Thursday, at which time members of the body voted in favor of extending an offer to purchase two parcels, the first of which is located at 126 North Jefferson St., along with a vacant parcel at 104 East Main St., at a price not to exceed $150,000 for both pieces of property.
An earlier story about the CDA’s decision is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-cda-authorizes-purchase-of-two-parcels-in-citys-downtown/.
Also during Thursday’s CDA meeting, and further detailed in the city manager’s memo, the CDA accepted a letter of intent from Jon Tanis “to partner with him as the adjacent property owner of the (Whitewater) Wrap and Ship (116 E. Main St.). That building and property would also become part of this proposed development within a unified structure,” the memo stated.
The identified properties are within a tax incremental financing district, the memo continued.
“Tax Incremental Financing, along with the CDA’s guidance and participation, are important components that will help ensure the success of this project and simultaneously provide return on investment for Whitewater’s taxpayers,” the memo stated.
Within his memo, Weidl noted that the project is “at the beginning,” and will undergo eight stages within the development process.
Among the steps, he wrote, is that of property accumulation and pre-planning.
“What we are doing next is sending off an offer to purchase as directed by the CDA and hoping for acceptance. The real work will start if acceptance happens, including site analysis, soil testing, and preliminary architectural and engineering design. All of that would take place before any potential sale,” he noted.
Whitewater Municipal Building, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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