Photo
The city of Janesville is considering buying this house at 417 Washington St. to expand Washington Park.
The plan commission will make recommendations on purchasing and selling properties at 6:30 p.m. today in City Hall, 18 N. Jackson St. The recommendations will be forwarded to the council on June 22.
The city of Janesville is considering buying this house at 417 Washington St. to expand Washington Park.
The city of Janesville is considering buying this house at 417 Washington St. to expand Washington Park.
JANESVILLE — Two potential city purchases in the Look West district could address two foreclosed homes, one of which is in bad condition, and expand Washington Park.
Some of the money would come from the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act passed in 2008.
The city wants to buy a dilapidated home at 417 N. Washington St. next to Washington Park for $39,000, tear it down and expand the park.
The Neighborhood Action Team has recommended the purchase. The city would pay for the purchase through its Parkland Acquisition Fund.
The purchase meets a goal of the Look West and Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood Revitalization Plan to reduce density, said Al Hulick, development specialist. It also meets a goal of the city's park plan to buy properties as they become available to expand undersized parks. The plan recommends that parks be a minimum of 2 acres. Washington Park is about 1.67 acres. The property is 15,000 square feet and would push the park past the minimum limit.
The property is in poor condition and has been in foreclosure since November 2008.
Staff also proposes that the city buy property across the street at 414 N. Washington St. for $40,750. That is a foreclosed, single-family home in good condition, Hulick said.
Once minor renovation is completed, the city would market the house to a low- to moderate-income person or family. The city would put a deed restriction on the property so it remains owner-occupied.
The money to buy the home would come from the Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program, which staff applied for in January through the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The program allows cities to buy foreclosed properties to rehabilitate, redevelop or demolish. Janesville anticipates receiving $987,146.
Both purchases are consistent with the recently approved Look West and Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood Revitalization Plans, Hulick said.
The city also proposes to sell property it owns at 1728 N. Washington St. to Brian Bailey, owner of the Watering Hole, 1700 N. Washington. The property is about .8 acres and is undeveloped. Bailey would build additional parking. He may also develop an outdoor volleyball court, but that would come forward as a separate item before the plan commission.
The site was formerly owned by the Riverside Plating Corp., which operated until 1993. The city took ownership in 2007. The site has been declared clear of environmental contamination.
The city is requiring Bailey to relocate his Parkside Drive entrance farther from the North Washington Drive intersection to increase visibility and safety at the intersection, Hulick said.