During a special meeting on Tuesday, June 4, the Milaca City Council approved a preliminary plat for custom homes to be built on a property near Heggies Pizza. The council also began preliminary discussions for the development of approximately 13 acres of land near the Milaca Liquor Store.
Preliminary plat
In following a recommendation from the Milaca Planning Commission, the Milaca City Council approved a preliminary plat for a 8.02-acre property located at 420 10th St. NE. for Worth Custom Homes.
The preliminary plat splits the property into three separate plats, two of which are currently in the early planning stages for the construction of one apartment building each in the middle and southernmost plats. The northernmost plat would be reserved for a future commercial or industrial use.
The original proposal for the land was the construction of three apartment buildings on the land at the time the property was rezoned in December 2022. At that time, the land was rezoned to R-3 Multiple Family Residential from its original R-2 One and Two Family Residential.
At the time of rezoning, the neighbors of the property were upset by the potential for the construction of the three apartment buildings and voiced those concerns during a council meeting.
Some of those concerns were that the apartments would take away from the “small town feel” Milaca provides, that the apartments would cause an “eyesore” for neighbors, that they would cause an increase in traffic, and that they would increase the amount of issues neighbors are currently facing with drainage and flooding.
Despite the concerns of the neighbors, the Milaca City Council voted to rezone the property. Now, about a year and a half later, the council has returned to the topic, and plans for two apartment buildings are moving forward.
The council has only approved the preliminary plat to divide the property, there are currently no build plans, permits, or land use applications for the proposed apartments.
To learn more about the rezoning of the property and the concerns presented to the council, visit the Union-Times article at https://tinyurl.com/yuwkn8ht.
For additional details about the preliminary plat of the property, visit the Milaca City Council website at https://www.cityofmilaca.org/agendas-1 and view the June 4 special meeting agenda packet.
Potential development of land near the Milaca Liquor Store
During the special council meeting, Mayor Dave Dillan shared with the council members that Milaca was one of the recipients of the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities Grant through the University of Minnesota.
The grant helps support small Minnesota cities by assisting them with developments that will “advance resilient and sustainable economic, social, or transportation infrastructure,” and “embrace projects or processes that may iterate new project ideas or frameworks for future development.”
The grant program also assists the cities by strengthening their project proposals to make them more competitive for a wide range of funding opportunities.
Milaca is one of the Minnesota cities that is a recipient of the grant, and the grant will be used to help make the future roundabouts within the city on Highway 23 — a project proposed to begin in 2027 — more appealing with detailed landscaping and design, and for the development of approximately 13 acres of land that can be seen from the Highway 169 bypass near the Milaca Liquor Store.
During the special council meeting, the Milaca City Council began preliminary discussions about what they would like to see developed on the property and shared that one company has already shown an interest in purchasing it. The name of the company was not disclosed.
Through the grant, select departments of the University of Minnesota will be matched with Milaca to help the city create plans for both projects that will be the most beneficial for the city and its community.
Per the recommendation of City Manager Tammy Pfaff, the council voted and approved the pursuit of a survey to be done on the property to clearly define property lines and develop a baseline of the property. The survey is estimated to cost approximately $13,000.
No other action was taken related to the property.
According to Mayor Dillan, additional details related to the Empowering Small Minnesota Community Grant will be shared with the Union-Times later this summer.
For additional information related to the grant, visit https://www.cts.umn.edu/programs/empoweringcommunities.
Reach Chloe Smith at chloe.smith@apgecm.com
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