Left, Alderwoman Joanne Suomi listens to residents during a marathon five hour City Council meeting Monday night. (City-Times photo)

Inadequate parking, a suspicious inventive payment and special ordinance changes all focus on opposition to the proposed 180- bed student rental on Stevens Point’s north side.

By Brandi Makuski

A proposed student rental project on Division Street died a slow death Monday, as Stevens Point City Council Members took five hours to turn it- and other ordinance amendments designed to support it- down.

Dozens of residents spoke against the 40- unit complex, which would have brought some 180 UWSP students into 2-5 bedroom apartments at the location where Point Motel currently stands. Opponents to the project had a variety of complaints, but inadequate tenant parking and a $500k incentive payment to developers were the mainstay of objections Monday, when City Council Members eventually turned down the construction permit and accompanying developer’s agreement with CCFS Group LLC.

“If this is such a great project, then why not let it stand on its own, why provide $500,000 for an out-of-town developer to collect rents from 180 students which will be then taken out of town?” Asked Stevens Point resident Mary Ann Laszewski.

Alderman Mike Wiza also said there was “no need” for an incentive payment to the developers, as the site was already located in a highly desirable location within the city’s TIF District #5, which encompasses a large portion of Division Street between Fourth Avenue and Sentry Insurance.

“This developer has a lot of experience, that’s clear, but if they are so successful this should be able to stand on its own,” Wiza said, adding TIF money should be saved for proposals which add new jobs in the city.

“This doesn’t add any jobs to the city and I would argue it is, in fact, taking jobs from the city,” he said, referring to Point Motel employees would lose employment with the demolition of the 50 year-old motel.

While no officials or students from UWSP spoke on the matter, some Council Members said problems could arise for surrounding properties if changes weren’t made to add more room for parking. Under the agreement between the city and CCFS, the firm proposing the rental property, only about 70 parking spaces would be available onsite for the tenants.

“I’m in favor of this project, but we can’t ask some of these students to not bring their car with them,” said Alderman Randy Stroik. “They’re going to try to get away with parking across the street or parking at Papa Joe’s or whatever.”

Current city ordinance requires one parking space per tenant in all multi-family zoned rental properties in Stevens Point. City leaders had proposed changing that ordinance to accommodate the new development and allow for fewer parking spaces, which would apply to all such zoned properties. That proposed ordinance change wasn’t popular with the Council.

“The parking doesn’t meet what we’ve said, that 90 percent of college kids bring their cars (to school),” said Alderwoman Joanne Suomi, who has long been active in trying to find solutions to what she calls the “growing problem” of parking issues within the city.

“There’s also no room for visitors at the apartments- where are the parents supposed to park?” She asked. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time now, and the city’s parking issues are getting progressively worse. This will not help.”

Alderman Michael O’Meara said he didn’t see the need to change the developer’s plans.

“I think students are driving less than ever, and with gas prices I don’t see where we’d need any additional parking,” said O’Meara.

Some in attendance complained city leaders weren’t listening to constituents.

“You’ve been told many times over the past several weeks that the taxpayers in this community don’t want this development,” said area resident Reid Rocheleau. “(This proposal) never should have come this far.”

Area landlord Barb Jacob agreed, but also said one sticking point for her came when she compared this project to a past proposed student rental. In 2012 Smet Construction proposed a mixed- use building at the former site of Cooper Motors, 533 Division Street, which included residential units as well as retail space. That project also didn’t get approval from the Council due to hefty public objection.

“The city told them they had to create some jobs because that building would be located in a TIF District,” Jacob said. That project proposed a mixed- use of both residential and light retail space, which would have created jobs- something city leaders in 2005 said was needed in the north side of town when they created the TIF District.

“This stuent housing project doesn’t create any jobs,” Jacob said, adding the city had in mind when creating TIF District 5 in 2005. “In fact you’re taking some jobs away, which doesn’t fit with the vision of this (TIF) district.”

Other complaints, with included the potential for trash and unsightly decorations from college renters, traffic safety and heightened police activity at the location, were so varied Alderman Mike Wiza made a motion to approve the project with a caveat.

“I move we approve the project with 193 parking spaces,” Wiza said.

Community Development Director Michael Ostrowski said that provision would essentially kill the project, as it was “physically impossible on that site” to make room for so much parking.

“That would essentially kill it (the project),” Ostrowski said.

The Council voted down the project and developer’s agreement by a division of 6-4, carried by Council Members Jerry Moore, Mike Wiza, Mike Phillips, Roger Trzebiatowski, Jeremy Slowinski and Joanne Suomi. Alderwoman Mary Stroik was absent from the meeting.