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Hot
condo proposal dodges cooling resolution
Move
would have tossed agreement with Fowler Lake Village
developer, accepted new proposals for land behind City Hall |
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By Ryan Billingham - Enterprise Staff |
August 21, 2014
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OCONOMOWOC — The proposed Fowler Lake
Village project narrowly avoided being put on hold and possibly
rejected at Tuesday night’s Common Council meeting through a
resolution proposed by Alderman Scott Rosek.
The failed resolution also challenged the Community Development
Authority’s power by requiring it to issue a request for
proposals for the property behind City Hall now used as a
municipal lot. That would have forced the CDA to toss out a
previous agreement with developer Jeff Seymour.
Rosek emphasized the CDA is an unelected board and he feels it
shouldn’t pick a single plan without exploring what options
might be created by encouraging offers from more developers.
Seymour and his plan have come under increased scrutiny by
community members concerned with its scale, its impact on
downtown parking and its use of city-owned shoreline property.
The resolution — Rosek’s first as an alderman — was voted down
4-3. Aldermen James Larsen and Derek Zwart were opposed by
Aldermen Tom Strey, Michael Miller, Charlie Shaw and David Nold.
Alderman Ken Herro abstained.
The vote was preceded by several community
members speaking against the development and one, former mayor
and current CDA member Floss Whelan, in support of the project.
Whelan said she would quit the CDA if the
resolution passed because it would tarnish Oconomowoc’s
perceived ability to make good-faith arrangements, like
memorandums of understanding, that can be trusted.
That contention would later be addressed by
the city’s special counsel Bruce Block when asked by an alderman
if the city might be vulnerable to a lawsuit if it reneged on
its agreement with Seymour. Block advised that answer would be
best suited for closed session.
Mayor Jim Daley defended himself and the
city against allegations made by petitioners about a lack of
transparency about the project. Daley strongly disagreed with
that sentiment. He said he has heard a lot of complaints from “a
segment in the community that is against (Fowler Lake Village)”
but very few solutions.
Daley said he would agree that a timeline
and a look at improved parking and access options could be part
of future discussions.
Shaw opposed the resolution primarily on the
basis of the previous agreement with Seymour, while Nold felt a
request for proposal without a clearly defined project was
pointless.
Several aldermen said the council should go
forward with an up or down vote on the developer’s agreement.
Seymour spoke briefly when asked about
presales of the condo units. He said that the indecision has
made it difficult to get contracts, but that he feels the
property is 60 percent sold, which means he would only need 10
percent more of the value to be sold for the project to get the
funding it requires.
After the meeting, Oconomowoc resident Kim
Herro was circulating a packet of information titled “Save Our
Downtown,” which outlined several recommendations for residents
including a delay of Fowler Lake Village and a reconsideration
of the city’s downtown master plan.
>>Related story: Bank’s backing lifts Fowler Lake condo project
>>Related story: Architectural
Commission discusses Fowler Lake
>>Related story: Group reveals plan for Fowler Lake Village
development
Email:
rbillingham@conleynet.com
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