Latest news with #JordanCityCouncil
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This old house… is free to anyone who can move it (copy)
In a housing market where buyers are snatching up homes hours after they hit the market, Barb Kochlin is struggling to give away a Victorian-era house in downtown Jordan. 'Unfortunately it was allowed to be moved there in the first place, way before my time, and now we have to try to figure it out,' Kochlin said. Sell it, move it, burn it, demolish it – the Jordan City Council doesn't really have a preference, but says something must be done with vacant house that sits near the old brewery building on Broadway Street. Kochlin said she's been trying to sell the house for an ultra-low price and have it moved off the property. Earlier this month, she decided she'd even give it away. 'I put a big sign on it that said 'free must move,'' Kochlin said. 'I put it on Craigslist, I've talked to Scott County Historical Society … I'm trying really hard to find a good home for it because I think it's a beautiful, neat, old Victorian house.' The problem, Kochlin said, is the cost of moving the two-story structure. 'I've had people say 'We're getting bids, we're getting bids' and then they just don't contact me back, so I'm assuming when they did their research it became too expensive for them to move it,' she said. Kochlin inherited the house when she bought the land from her grandmother, former Jordan Mayor Gail Anderson, who originally moved the house from the corner of Broadway and Second Streets to its 'temporary' location in 2002. Kochlin said she isn't sure what her late grandmother's plans were for the house, but knows she invested around $40,000 for improvements to the interior. Kochlin said she would've used that money for more fundamental improvements, like connecting the house to city water and sewer service or building a proper foundation (the house sits atop cinder blocks on the old bottling house basement). After Anderson died, Kochlin unearthed concept drawings for a bed-and-breakfast drafted by Kevin Breeggemann, who refurbished the Nicolin Mansion Bed & Breakfast and the brewery with Anderson. Kochlin had plans to turn the house into a multi-family residence, but after extensive work with city planners, she realized the idea was cost-prohibitive, as it involved building off-street parking and direct access to Broadway Street. Kochlin also asked the city to consider rezoning the parcel for a single-family home, but the city denied that request because it conflicts with the 2040 comprehensive plan. Out of ideas, Kochlin put the house on the market last year, then repeatedly lowered the price before advertising it as free. After receiving countless contacts from non-serious buyers, Kochlin relisted the house at a nominal cost. Since then, she says the house has received interest, but would-be buyers are dissuaded by moving costs. On April 15, the city council requested an update on the property. Kochlin said she prefers to sell the house, but will have it demolished or burned down if necessary. She floated the idea of letting the Jordan Fire Department use the house for a controlled training burn, but councilman and firefighter Jeremy Goebel said the house is an unlikely candidate due to potential stability issues. The council ultimately voted to give Kochlin three more months to sell or move the house before she is forced to begin pursuing demolition options. In recent months she obtained two bids for demolition; the lowest was $14,000. Kochlin was told that price could go up if asbestos is found in the house. Asbestos testing will cost her at least $500 and could balloon to $2,000 if the hazardous mineral is found. Kochlin has tried to give the house away to organizations and businesses, including Habitat for Humanity and moving companies, but none were interested. Now, with only three months left to move the house, Kochlin is still holding out hope for an interested buyer. 'I don't want to see it be demolished or burned down, but I've run out of ideas to make it work,' she said. 'I would love for it to have a good home on a different plot of land. I hate seeing old buildings torn down because once they're gone, they're gone forever.'
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Column: Paddling against the current
When I meet with friends they often ask, 'What's up with this or that thing the council's looking at?' Sometimes I know the answer. Often I'm just as much at sea as anyone in town. The consent agenda at Jordan City Council meetings is one of those things about which I'm often at sea. Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be) I'm usually not alone. The consent agenda – especially the bills agenda section – is a sea the City Council seldom wades into. So today when a friend asked me about an item that appeared in the consent agenda two weeks ago, I really didn't know what to say. My friend said he thought I was keeping track of all that stuff. So I reminded him that I'm a former City Council Member, and I only look at some of the council's business. Our conversation rolled around two main points. The first point was, why is the city (us taxpayers) paying a consultant to do a study about an interchange that relates to two state highways and a county road. To wit from the list of bills: UnPaid KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATE $114,902.95 169-282-9 INTERCHANGE My friend posited that if the roads don't belong to Jordan, the city should not be paying for studies and whatnot – an entirely reasonable thing to say. In my opinion, there are several reasons why Jordan taxpayers are being saddled with the expense for the study. First, City Hall will justify the expense by saying the city will be reimbursed when the interchange is built, and we need to show MnDOT that we're serious about wanting the interchange – put our money where our mouth is, as it were. Next (again, in my opinion) City Hall needs to cover a past action done without fully considering all information. In their rush to just do something, the council and staff have put together a proposal that will isolate businesses west of Highway 169. I don't think retail businesses in the area are going to be especially thrilled with the results of the proposed interchange either. Just take a look at what happened in Belle Plaine. The second point of discussion was, why doesn't the council question any of the expenses on the list of bills, and maybe split out some of the bigger ones for discussion? That would serve to inform the supposed hundreds of people who watch and listen to the live feed. In my opinion there are a few reasons why the council doesn't challenge anything on the list of bills. For one thing, the council has presumably approved in advance all of the expenses. I also think both council and staff want to minimize scrutiny of how our tax dollars are being spent. Then there's the element of laziness. Much easier to just zip through the meeting, and go home to watch Monday Night Football. Finally, in my opinion, the council for the most part is unwilling to show any signs of dissent or disagreement with staff. So here you have: UnPaid JORDAN CENTER $10,299.47 TIF PAYMENT UnPaid SAND COMPANIES, INC. $17,850.65 TIF PAYMENT UnPaid OAK TERRACE SENIOR HOUSIN $51,526.39 1ST HALF – 2019 Plus that $114,902.95 to Kimley-Horn and Associates, all unchallenged (in public, at least), and unexplained. (Individual council members may – and MAY is the operative word – have consulted with staff before the meeting. But remember, the council doesn't typically see the agenda and supporting documents until late Friday afternoon.) The Quote: 'The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out… without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.' H. L. Mencken
