HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980 07-29 Council OKs utility project DISPATCH Council OKs Q's �
utility pro jectL�4 ,Q•
By BETSY BECKER , federal money it may have to as-
Staff Writer secs the landowners along South-
lawn,he explained.
The Maplewood City Council Realty Development Services,
recently approved a street and Inc.,is doing the housing project.
utility project to serve a pro- Richard C. Bienapfl, president,
posed subsidized housing devel- said this week that he hopes con-
opment. struction begins this fall.
But it took two votes before The townhouse project was ap-
the council's approval came on proved in Febrary, 1979, but
the estimated $336,700 street with requirements for upgrading
and utility project for Southlawn Radatz Avenue. However,when
Avenue south of Beam Avenue. landowners along Radatz pro-
CONSTRUCTION OF South- tested at hearings this winter,
lawn will allow a 57-unit family the council agreed to drop the
townhouse development to go in Radatz project and make South-
south of Radatz Avenue. lawn an access to the town-
houses.Initially, the street project
failed although it passed with a 3
to 2 majority. A four-fifths ap-
proval was necessary.
Mayor John Greavu and Coun-
cilman Gary Bastian voted
ag'+inst the project. Council
members Fran Juker,Norm An-
derson and Earl Nelson support-
ed it.
Greavu said:"I'm not opposed
to low income housing. But I
don't want to supply that con-
tractor so he can make money
off the taxpayer."
Bastian said he opposed the
project because he was con-
cerned about potential drainage
problems. He changed his vote
later,he said,after balancing the
need for low income housing.
The street project then was
approved by the 4 to 1 margin.
THE PROJECT will construct
Southlawn Avenue south from
Beam Avenue to a cul-de-sac
just north of Vale Avenue.And it
includes storm and sanitary
sewers and water mains.
A special underground rock
drainage system also will be in-
stalled north of some homes on
Kohlman Avenue.The system is
intended to correct some ground
water problems affecting those
homes. The estimated $76,000
cost is part of the total project.
However, construction of the
street and utility project won't
begin until the city actually re-
ceives a $273,400 federal Com-
munity Development block grant
for the work.
The city expects the grant
from the Department of Housing
and Urban Development as an
aid to bring in the subsidized
housing.
The grant is dependent upon
initiation of the subsidized hous-
ing project.
CITY MANAGER Barry Ev-
ans said the city has applied for
additional federal funds to pay
for the remaining$64,300.
If the city receives no extra