Colfax Village Board refers interest in East View lots to plan commission
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by LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — As they say — when it rains, it pours.
Channel 18 (WQOW television) out of Eau Claire approached the Village of Colfax about doing a segment on the East View lots, and there was no time to have a plan commission meeting before the segment was filmed, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, at the Colfax Village Board’s June 12 meeting.
As a result of the segment, the village received eight contacts about the lots, including three developers and five individuals.
Four lots are available in Phase 2 of East View, two singe-family and two multi-family. The village gave away the first six lots in East View for single family homes to encourage development and planned to decide on a case-by-case basis whether the remaining lots in Phase 2 would be given away or sold.
One of the lots in Phase 2 has been given to a Minnesota couple, who are working with John Fraley of Homes by Croix Creek to build a house.
Two of the developers who contacted Niggemann said they would plan to start construction this year.
Jason Griepentrog, GRIP Development, Altoona, said he would be interested in all four lots, with completion by the end of the year and construction beginning in August or September.
Dave Rosebrook, Rosenbrook Construction, Bloomer, said he would be interested in the multi-family lots to be zoned as zero lot line for twin homes, and also said he believed the two multi-family lots were large enough that they could be divided into three lots for three twin homes and would be willing to install the additional sewer and water service for the third lot.
Rosenbrook indicated he would complete one twin home in 2023, and the other one in 2024.
GRIP Development sent a representative to the village board meeting, and Rosenbrook attended the meeting himself.
The issue of the lots in Phase 2 is coming before the village board because Niggemann said she has been unable to schedule a plan commission meeting.
There have been conflicts with the plan commission members for the dates that were available for a plan commission meeting, she said.
Multi-family
Rosenbrook said most of the multi-family units he has built have been built in Bloomer.
Bloomer initially did not have zero lot line zoning, so they had to be sold as condominiums, he said, noting that he prefers the zero lot line zoning for the twin homes.
Colfax has zero lot line available, Niggemann said.
Rosenbrook said the houses he builds have hardwood interiors, and that his company has built cabinets for the houses in the past and that the houses are generally built on slabs.
Houses Rosenbrook built with basements have sold for in the slightly over $300,000 range, while houses built on slabs have sold for around $270,000, he said.
Gary Stene, village trustee, noted that Rosenbrook had indicated he would build one house this year and one next year.
Property is hard to find, Rosenbrook said.
If the Village of Colfax is planning to expand East View, he would be very much interested in purchasing additional lots for development, Rosenbrook said.
Municipalities owning the lots and offering them for free is rare, he said.
Colfax is trying to encourage development. In the past, the Tax Increment Finance Districts (TIF) could not have residential and industrial in the same TIF, but the law has been changed, so that allowed Colfax to set up another TIF with residential and commercial/industrial, Stene said, adding that he wished Colfax owned more land to capture the development.
“TIF districts are good tools,” he said.
Rosenbrook asked if Colfax had plans for lots for multi-family that would have four to eight units.
Colfax does not have plans for the larger multi-family, Niggemann said.
The representative for GRIP Development said he had been in the business for 22 years and that the company would be willing to build one or two single family or twin homes, and would be “open for anything.”
These would be good starter homes that would fit in well with what is already in East View, he said.
Construction would start in August or September and would be completed by December or January, the representative said.
When asked about the success rate of selling houses that had already been built, Rosenbrook said the houses he builds are usually sold before they are finished.
The representative from GRIP Development agreed there has not been a problem will selling the properties.
Phase 2
The lots in Phase 2 have yet to be zoned and can be zoned according to what is going to be built there, Niggemann said.
The lots in Phase 1 were set up so that the developer signs the application for the lot, and if the house is built and ready to be occupied within one year, then the lot is free, Stene said.
“I would like to work with whoever wants to work with (Colfax),” he said.
The lots already have sewer and water service, Niggemann said.
The last two lots could be three lots for twin homes with another sewer and water service, noted Rand Bates, director of public works.
Housing is in short supply, said the GRIP Development representative.
The location in Colfax is very desirable because it is located eight miles away from I-94, Rosenbrook said.
Phase 3 development would take place to the east, Niggemann said.
Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue would be extended for further development? asked the GRIP Development representative.
Niggemann and Bates confirmed that would be the case.
The original plan was to have six free lots in Phase 1. John Fraley (Homes by Croix Creek) spoke for five of the lots. Another individual wanted Lot 7, so the village agreed to give that lot for free, Niggemann said.
There are four lots left, two single-family and two-multi-family, she said, noting there will be TIF incentives.
Will the village board or the plan commission decide if the lots are free? Stene asked.
The village board decided about Lot 7 because the plan commission was unable to meet, Niggemann said.
“Let’s figure out a way to make it happen and to move as quickly as possible,” Stene said.
Deadlines
Jeff Prince, village president, asked about the deadlines for GRIP Development and Rosenbrook to know more information about the lots.
Both Rosenbrook and the representative for GRIP Development said they would need to know in the next couple of weeks so the construction could be scheduled for this fall.
Niggemann said the plan commission would determine whether the lots would be offered for free.
If the public hearing notice, which must be published in the newspaper two times, was published in the June 21 edition of the Messenger, the public hearing on the matter could be held June 28 and the village board could hold a special meeting June 29, Niggemann said.
The Colfax Plan Commission met June 15 to discuss the issue of the remaining lots in East View.
The Colfax Village Board held a special meeting June 19 to consider the plan commission’s recommendations for rezoning Phase 2 and recommendations concerning Phase 1.
