Council Approves Land Transfer Memorandum
Economic growth can be achieved through collaboration and partnerships. By pulling together key stakeholders within our county, the probability of successful endeavors increase dramatically.
Below is a reprinted article from yesterday’s Monroe News. This is a great example of a partnership between the City of Monroe and the Monroe County Historical Society sharing their resources to create a better environment and future development.
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Reprinted article from Monroe News
Posted September 20, 2017 at 1:00 pm
by Monroe News Staff
Monroe News Photo by Tom Hawley of Navarre Anderson Trading Post at the River Raisin Territorial Park in Monroe
A land transfer deal is one step closer to reality after the Monroe City Council agreed to a memorandum of understanding.
The council voted 6-0 to approve the memorandum during its meeting Monday night. Councilman John Iacoangeli abstained from voting as he is on the Monroe County Historical Society Board.
Earlier this month, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners agreed to a transfer of land with the city and the Monroe County Historical Society. The deal is not finalized until the society approves the agreement during its next meeting Tuesday.
The city approved an addendum to the agreement regarding Rauch Park. The addendum states the historical society may be granted access to Rauch Park for development of an international peace garden in accordance with the city’s Heritage Corridor Plan.
The plan may be amended and developed pursuant to plans and specifications mutually agreeable to the city and the society, the memorandum said.
“All developments shall be kept open to the public,” the memo said. “All developments must meet federal, state and local laws, statutes and rules. All development is subject to the approval of the city’s site plan approval process.”
The county owns Territorial Park on N. Custer Rd., which was known formerly as the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post and the Martha Barker Country Store.
The county owns 3.73 acres at 1310 E. First St. across from Hellenberg Field in the city known as the Hellenberg Parking Lot property.
Under terms of the memo, the following would take place:
- The society would donate its property on N. Custer to the county.
- The county would donate the Hellenberg Parking Lot property to the city. The city’s acquisition of the parcel would help contribute to the city’s local match in a grant application to develop the River Raisin Heritage Corridor East Master Plan.
- The county would provide an appropriate stone memorial marker at the society property on N. Custer to recognize the society’s contribution to the county. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling the monument will be held sometime during the county’s bicentennial year.
- The county agrees to a restrictive covenant to be placed on record with the register of deeds restricting the use of the society’s property for public, historical, park or recreation purposes.
- The county shall allow the society free and reasonable use of its property for historical programming open to the public without charge, providing that such activities don’t conflict with the county or historical commission use.
When the city develops the Hellenberg lot for recreational, historic and park purposes, the land will be named in recognition of the society.
The city will pledge its support of a possible future abandonment of the block on E. Second St. located between the courthouse and the county jail to provide possible space for expansion of the public use of the county-city governmental complex located within the block.
