Feb. 17—WILLMAR

— The

Willmar City Council

on Tuesday, Feb. 20, will consider the approval of a purchase agreement with

Cura

for the sale of park land for a senior housing development. The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services.

The Council will also consider the introduction of an ordinance authorizing the land sale and set a public hearing for the ordinance to take place at its Monday, March 18 Council meeting.

The proposed location of the land is south of Willmar Avenue Southeast between Bill Taunton Stadium and CentraCare — Willmar Therapy Suites.

This is the same parcel of land that the Willmar Parks and Recreation Board declined recommending the sale of for another senior housing development when it was presented by Aaron Backman in July of 2023. Backman is the executive director of the

Kandiyohi County Economic Development,

formerly the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission.

This current sale has not been brought to the attention of the board at any of its meetings.

The previous development proposal was from Trident Development to purchase 5.5 acres for $150,000 to construct a 60-unit, two-story assisted living facility with a 15-unit, one-story memory care wing to the south.

Since the fall of 2023, Backman has been working with Cura, a Paynesville-based, non-profit organization that owns, acquired and has developed about 1,200 housing units for seniors in Minnesota, according to a memorandum in the Council agenda packet.

The proposal is also for the sale of 5.54 acres at a cost of $150,000, according to the memorandum. In addition, Cura would be paying a Park Dedication Fee estimated to be approximately $10,500 and would cost-share with the city of Willmar on stormwater improvements required for the project.

Cura’s plans are to build a three-level facility that will include heated parking at grade with access off of Willmar Avenue, according to the memorandum. Cura likes the site and the nearby municipal trails, and is open to partnering with the Parks and Recreation Department on programming.

The decision by the Parks and Recreation Board to decline recommending the sale of the park land for the previous proposal ultimately came down to the board’s desire to maintain the amount of park land it currently has in the city.