The Village of St. Joseph is discussing future plans for the Woodard Sports Complex tonight.
The village board will decide whether to go ahead with a request for proposals from developers that want to develop the north side of the sports complex into a residential area.
The proposals would be to develop 37.37 acres of land and the village is asking developers to look at homes on North and South Glover Court for the types of homes that would fit the location.
Nearly 25 years ago, the Village of St. Joseph purchased property from the Woodard family at a discounted rate. A portion of the land was made into the community sports complex.
At the time, the village had a master plan for the parks.
The plan called for development of the north part of the land.
The presentation that will be given to the board tonight says that the property is “underutilizing available land and represents a potential opportunity to advance multiple Village objectives simultaneously.”
The presentation says that the village is facing an “unfortunate set of circumstances related to growth.”
It goes on to say that there are approximately ten property owners located within identifiable growth zones who are largely unmotivated to sell, or who have expectations that create market barriers when paired with substantial upfront infrastructure costs.
St. Joseph has not had large scale residential development since the late 2000s.
The presentation says that until 2025, sewer capacity limitations effectively prevented the Village from adding a meaningful number of new homes.
The presentation says that while sewer capacity has been addressed the lack of storm water infrastructure in areas that could be developed have made development in those areas too costly.
“Within the last year, two reputable developers have independently invested significant time and financial resources into due diligence for this southeast growth area,” the presentation says. “Both concluded that upfront infrastructure costs exceed $1.5 million before construction of a single home. Neither developer is willing to assume this level of risk.”
The presentation says that the village owns land that is not being utilized and could support residential development.
Asking for proposals does not mean the village will proceed with the sale or development.
An appraisal of the land says the land is worth $895,000.
The proposal says that potential long-term benefits of developing the land include an increased property tax base, population growth, and improved school enrollment.
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