Wausau City Hall. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Economic Development Committee narrowly approved the sale of two parcels of land at 208 and 214 Wyatt Street on Tuesday.
The proposal comes from Troy Engman, who plans to build a new home for himself on the site, allowing him to be closer to family. Economic Development Director Randy Fifrick says it’s not a perfect solution for the property, but land has been under city control for too long. “We are just happy to see somebody be able to use the property. It’s been in our hands for way too long.
“This is probably the least desirable [property] with the environmental and floodplain. It’s great to get this off our books,” added Fifrick.
Tuesday’s vote was 3-2, with alders Terry Kilian and Vicki Tierney voting no, saying they wanted the city to increase its asking price for the land. Engman’s proposal includes a $3,500 purchase price. He will also assume all soil remediation costs.
Fifrick says his plan includes adding dirt and a slab foundation, avoiding the need to landfill the dirt or use other costly techniques. The added fill also satisfies FEMA’s floodplain requirements. “In a project like this, that’s the easiest thing to do- slab on grade. Because this is in a floodplain, they’ll be adding some fill. Anything new must be built to FEMA requirements.”
Contingencies include confirmation from the DNR that the city has been released from all environmental responsibilities. If approved by the full council, the design would also need approval from the city’s Building Advisory Board due to the size of the proposed garage. Engman told the committee the garage would fit his boat, vehicles, and lawn tools.
Earlier this summer, the property was the subject of a canceled development deal for duplexes, which was nixed after it was discovered that the person behind the development was 17 years old.
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