Jan. 7—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved on Monday, Jan. 6, a proposal by Heartland Heating and Cooling in Jamestown to purchase and develop property at the Harold P. Bensch Addition.
The city attorney’s office also was authorized to work with Heartland Heating & Cooling to prepare documents for City Council approval.
In related business, the City Council held the first reading of an ordinance to change the zoning of lots one and two on block one and lot one on block two of the Harold P. Bensch Addition.
The properties are located at 301, 401 and 402 11th Ave. SE.
The zoning on the properties will be changed from a general industrial and manufacturing district to a general commercial district.
The council will have the second reading at its next meeting in February.
The city of Jamestown received two requests for proposals to purchase and develop lots one and two on block one of the Harold P. Bensch addition. The location of the property is south of 3rd Street Southeast from 11th Avenue to 12th Avenue Southeast.
Tom Blackmore, zoning administrator, said Heartland Heating & Cooling’s proposal includes building a 12,000-square-foot building.
Blackmore said a second proposal submitted by Joe Klundt, Matt McPherson and Matt Perkins includes developing the lots into shop condominiums.
“It would be nice if we could do like standalone or do like three or four (units) per building, then we can shift buildings around and they can look nice in there,” Klundt said.
He said the minimum bid requirement was $2.50 per square foot for lot one on block one at the Harold P. Bensch Addition. The minimum bid requirement was $2 per square foot for lot two on block one and lot one on block two.
The total amount to purchase the property at the Harold P. Bensch Addition was not stated at the meeting.
Blackmore said both proposals were within 50 cents of each other. He said neither proposal included purchasing and developing lot one on block two.
Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said Heartland’s proposal much more meets what he envisions for that area. He said he encourages the development of shop condominiums but in a different area.
The purchaser must agree to sell the property back to the city at the original purchase price if development does not occur within 30 months of the purchase in accordance with the development plan submitted as part of the original purchase proposal.
The City Council unanimously approved expanding the city’s current Renaissance Zone boundary area.
Jamestown will have nine additional blocks in the Renaissance Zone, increasing the number from 22 to 31 blocks.
The Renaissance Zone boundary will extend south on the east side of 1st Avenue South to the former location of Hardee’s. The boundary includes homes along 2nd Avenue Southeast from 6th Street to 10th Street Southeast.
The boundary goes east from the former Hardee’s location an additional three blocks from 2nd Avenue to 5th Avenue Southeast. The boundary includes homes and businesses from 9th Street to 10th Street Southeast.
Two more blocks were added near 12th Avenue Southeast. The boundary goes from 3rd Street to 5th Street Southeast and 10th Avenue to 12th Avenue Southeast. The boundary includes homes along 10th Avenue Southeast from 4th Street to 5th Street Southeast.
The Renaissance Zone Program helps revitalize communities in the state and encourages development through tax incentives, according to the North Dakota Department of Commerce’s website. The program offers state and local tax incentives for five years to residents and business owners to invest in the community.
In other business, the City Council unanimously approved:
* the appointments of Gary Klundt and Darrell Losing to the Jamestown Board of Adjustment to fill three-year terms that expire in January 2028.
* the appointment of Amie Aesoph to the Jamestown Civil Service Commission to fill a five-year term that expires in January 2030.
* the appointment of Christopher Aarhus to serve as a member of the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority to fill a five-year term that expires in December 2029.
* the appointments Erik Laber, Frank Balak and Councilman David Schloegel to serve as members of the Jamestown Frontier Attractions Board of Directors. Laber and Balak will serve three-year terms that expire in January 2028 while Schloegel will serve a two-year term that expires in January 2027.