Patriot Acres project awaiting city action

While a proposal to build affordable housing on Rice Lake’s south side has ground to a halt with no signs of resuming, a west side project is waiting for city action after it received a WHEDA loan and city staff is working with an unidentified developer to possibly build homes or an apartment complex to the northwest of Kern Avenue.

Patriot AcresMJ Crosby of Land Quest owns property to the north of Allen Street and west of Royal Crest Drive that he plans to develop as a 50-lot subdivision for single-family homes. The land has been legally platted, and on May 23 the City Council approved a developer’s agreement and agreed to contribute $657,060 to cover the feasibility gap as well as up to $83,330 to extend Deacon Drive.

Recently, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority announced that Patriot Acres is eligible for a loan of $472,000 from Infrastructure Access funds to aid development as it pertains to associated infrastructure costs, Crosby said. The entire project is estimated to cost $3.1 million.

But Crosby went on to say that WHEDA requires the city to update the housing portion of its Comprehensive Guide Plan before the grant can become official.

“It appears this will not be accomplished for several months,” Crosby said. “The project will not move forward until said update is completed. There is a question as to whether the city of Rice Lake will complete the update in time to break ground this year. We remain hopeful, but it could well become a spring 2025 project.”

A call to Mayor Harlan Dodge’s office on Monday for an update on plans to address the Comprehensive Guide Plan was not returned prior to production deadline, but he has emphasized in the past the immense need the city has for housing.

“We need housing in the city — we need it,” Dodge said.

However, Dodge also said he’s been fielding calls from residents of Royal Crest Drive concerned about the Patriot Acres development, particularly its proposed lot sizes.

In its plat review submitted to the Plan Commission in March 22, the developer said the project was aimed to appeal to people “desiring a single-family home on a smaller, more traditional city lot.” The city’s minimum lot size is 8,000 square feet and Patriot Acres’ smallest lots measure 9,234 square feet, with some running larger, Dodge said.

The mayor noted that people have been confused about the WHEDA loan, thinking that it is a grant, but it is not. The developer must repay the $472,000 with interest.

Burton Family Trust landA housing development proposal to build affordable housing on Rice Lake’s south side seemingly has ground to a halt with no signs progress will resume.

Kinnick Development Group, based in Minnesota, proposed building more than 100 one- and two-family residential homes to the southeast of Farm & Fleet and west of Tainter Elementary School on Burton Family Trust property.

However, the City Council in February declined to accept a developer’s plat as the developer was not yet the legal owner of the property and no progress had been made coming to terms on a development agreement. Requests that the developer had made for financial assistance were deemed to pose an “unreasonable” risk to city welfare and finances.

According to Dodge, the city hasn’t heard from Kinnick recently and he thinks the project is possibly “dead in the water.”

That doesn’t mean a housing development might not sprout up on Burton Family Trust land to the south of the Kinnick proposal. Developers have expressed interest in the property to build either homes or an apartment complex, but Dodge said he could not say more.

“It is in the works, and it is very, very close to coming to fruition,” he said. “It is going to be very good for the city if it comes through. We are working on it.”