Matthew Johnson, Executive Director for the Lake County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, appeared before the Silver Bay City Council on Monday night to speak about funding options for the Silverpoint II apartment development. Though land acquisition efforts are still under discussion, Johnson reiterated that Silverpoint II planning will move forward “regardless of the land issue”. Because issues around land availability for the development are unresolved, Johnson indicated that developer D.W. Jones can begin designing a 24 unit apartment building. If more land becomes available soon, that design plan could jump to a 36 unit facility.
The various funding options to be considered for Silverpoint II are somewhat complicated because there are different grant opportunities that can be applied for depending on the type of housing that is being built. Johnson showed the Council an application form from the Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Plan. This application would be for grant funding to build market rate workforce housing units and can include housing for Seniors at market rates. Different funding sources will need to be pursued if the plan is to build units that are subsidized for low income occupancy. Since market rates senior and subsidized housing are all needed in Silver Bay, the Council and the Lake County HRA are trying to maximize their funding options and are working against deadlines for submitting grant applications. This process has been delayed because questions about available land for the project have not been fully resolved. Johnson pointed out that under the current plan, a good share of the units will have two bedrooms, and 5% will be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
There is clearly some concern about the needs of senior citizens and some community members who attended Monday night’s meeting stressed the need for a Citizen’s Advisory Board. Mayor Wade LeBlanc and the Council are supportive of increased input from city residents. The Mayor encouraged folks who want to have more of a voice in decision making to attend any of the seven committees that are at work making decisions to better meet the needs of Silver Bay residents.
The Council voted to pass a resolution that will allow a vacation of easement so that the library addition can move forward. They also passed a resolution to accept a $100,000 Otto Bremer Grant agreement for Library construction.
A number of Silver Bay City Committees are looking for community members who want to serve. Interested parties should contact City Hall for more information at (218) 226-4408.
The next Silver Bay City Council meeting is scheduled for February 20th at 7:00.
