Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Tim Ryan Daniel Lindstrom, of Vierbacher, the consulting group hired to work on the plan for the city’s Redevelopment Authority, presents a slideshow explaining the plan for nearly three dozen residents who attended a meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
Controversy? What controversy?
It would have been hard to tell at the Shawano Redevelopment Authority’s public hearing Tuesday that property owners had been lining up at previous meetings to voice objections to the very idea of a redevelopment district and their inclusion in it.
That is not to say all of the nearly three dozen people who attended the hearing are happy about being in a so-called blight elimination district, but the subdued tone of the comments and Q&A with RDA members suggested they are resigned to that fact and are now more interested in how it would work.
The Shawano Common Council approved the redevelopment district in August. Tuesday’s public hearing was set to discuss the RDA’s plan of action for dealing with blighted properties within the district.
The plan still needs to go to the Common Council for approval.
Only a few of the attendees spoke, including Jim Oberstein, who made an unsuccessful bid for Shawano mayor in April.
Oberstein encouraged the RDA to add language to the plan identifying design and branding goals to areas like the downtown to avoid a hodgepodge of conflicting development styles within the city.
The RDA discussed at length whether it had the authority to make those decisions, ultimately deciding it would work with the Business Improvement District, Common Council and other committees to accomplish their objectives.
Realtor Terry Hilgenberg said he hoped the RDA could help with several properties in disrepair.
“I would hope we would have an opportunity of getting together and seeing what we could do,” he said.
Much of the discussion Tuesday centered around the financial assistance that could be available for property owners wanting to improve their properties.
The plan includes a list of resources for property owners and other available assistance the RDA can provide, largely through the city’s Tax Incremental Finance districts, or direct people to, such as a variety of federal, state and local grants, loans and financial assistance.
Assistant City Administrator Eddie Sheppard said the RDA would be a “one-stop shop” to provide or direct property owners to financial assistance.
The RDA plan had at least one cheerleader in the group, Carl Romanesko, of Romenesko Developments Inc., which recently acquired a vacant property at 1501 E. Green Bay St.
“I’m excited with what the city is doing,” he said. “I really like what they’re doing. That’s one of the reasons I’m here today. I’m excited about doing something here in Shawano.”
There were still some lingering concerns, however, about the RDA’s power of eminent domain.
“I still have that fear of eminent domain,” said John Baird, who owns a residential property in a district made up mostly of commercial properties.
City Administrator Brian Knapp explained that the process of invoking eminent domain would begin with trying to work with property owners to help them improve their properties.
If a property owner was unwilling or unable to comply, a public hearing would be held to determine whether condemnation would be appropriate.
The property owner would be able to get an appraisal of the property to determine its value, and there would be negotiations on a selling price.
Though there have been many properties identified as having minor blight issues, Knapp said the RDA’s focus has always been on properties that are in serious disrepair.
“The impetus for the RDA was to deal with the dilapidated buildings, primarily those that are vacant and falling apart and creating a significant economic hardship,” he said. “We either tear these buildings down or put significant public funds into them. Arresting that deterioration is the goal of the RDA.”
The RDA district roughly follows the contours of Tax Incremental Finance districts already designated for blight elimination along Main Street from the Wolf River bridge on the north to Wescott Avenue on the south, and along Green Bay Street from Main Street on the west to Rusch Road on the east.
There are 391 properties within the boundaries of the RDA district. Just over half of them are considered blighted or in need of redevelopment.