Shawano Common Council Highlights

Engel Drive apartments get approval

The Shawano Common Council last week approved a development agreement for an apartment complex to be located in the industrial park on Engel Drive.

SC Swiderski, of Mosinee, is planning an apartment development that would include a minimum of 160 units and as many as 224 units that would be completed in stages over the next five years.

The development agreement calls for SC Swiderski to purchase the 18.6 acres from the city for $450,000.

When Swiderski has completed and gotten occupancy permits for 160 units, the city will reimburse the developer for the purchase price of the land.

The 160-unit figure is being used as a “bare minimum” in the proposed development agreement, even though Swiderski is planning as many as 224 units, according to City Administrator Eddie Sheppard.

Plans call for 12 apartment units per acre in three building styles, including two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments with attached garages; one-and two-bedroom apartments with detached garages; and two- and three-bedroom apartments with attached two-car garages.

Council OKs canoe/kayak launches

Two docks with canoe and kayak launches were approved by the Shawano Common Council at its Jan. 15 meeting. One dock will go in at Huckleberry Harbor. The other will be located at Kleeman Park.

The docks are expected to cost a total of about $41,000.

The money will come out of the roughly $60,000 left over from the park improvements referendum that included the splash pad at Memorial Park and improvements to Franklin and Smalley parks.

Additional docks specifically with canoe/kayak launches was discussed as part of the referendum plan.

The city will seek to get back some of the cost of the docks after the fact by applying for a state DNR recreational boating fund grant, which could cover up to 35% of the cost.

The council also approved $56,908 in playground equipment for Kleeman Park, which had been included in the 2020 budget.

2 businesses get help with improvements

Two Shawano businesses will get assistance with the cost of improvements from the Shawano Redevelopment Authority under development agreements approved Jan. 15 by the Common Council.

R. Franklin Clothing at 109 S. Main St. plans to update its facility by renovating the interior and eliminating blighted conditions at a cost of $60,000.

The RDA will provide a grant of $12,500 toward the project.

RBNEZ LLC, which rents the building at 414 S. Main St. to Edward Jones Financial Advisors, is planning a remodeling and renovation of that property and elimination of blighted conditions at an estimated cost of $114,000.

Improvements include a new ADA accessible ramp and entrance, new windows, a paved parking area and landscaping.

The RDA will provide a grant of $6,000 toward the project.

City urges change in state dark store loophole

The city of Shawano is asking the state to eliminate the so-called dark store loophole that allows big box stores to claim property values significantly lower than the assessments set by municipalities for those properties.

The stores claim those properties can’t be used for anything else once they’re vacated and should be assessed as if they were vacant when taxes come due.

That forces other property owners to pay more in taxes to make up the difference.

The Common Council passed a resolution that will be forwarded to the governor and the Legislature calling for an end to the loophole.

“A carefully orchestrated wave of 100s of lawsuits in Wisconsin is forcing assessors to slash the market value of thriving national retail stores, shifting their tax burden to local mom and pop shops and homeowners,” the resolution states.

The city is facing one of those lawsuits now from Walmart.