May 17, 2023

Widseth design for Mineral Springs Estates

Owatonna Considering 328-unit Housing Project

The City Council approved a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Preliminary Plat at its May 16 meeting to help address housing needs in Owatonna. This new residential development, proposed by Prairie LaSalle Partners, plans to construct traditional single-family, attach single-family, two-family townhomes and multi-family units for a total of 328 units on an 82-acre parcel.

“This is the first development like this we’ve seen in Owatonna that will provide opportunities to rent or own a home,” said Troy Klecker, Community Development Director. “It will provide housing options for the full range of our community members including young families, seniors looking to downsize and everyone in between and it will help provide the greatly needed housing for Owatonna’s continually growing workforce.” The proposed development will preserve 16 acres of open space and wetlands. One priority for the design is walkability with a number of 10-foot-wide trails included in the design. An association will maintain the common spaces in the development.

A neighborhood meeting was hosted by the developer May 4 which provided the neighbors who attended a preview of the development and an opportunity to express ideas and concerns about the project. A public hearing was held at the May 9 Planning Commission meeting which also provided information about the development and an opportunity for community members to ask questions and offer comments. The second reading of the proposed Ordinance approving the PUD for this project is expected to be considered by the City Council at its July 5 meeting. Pending this approval, the first phase of construction is planned to kick off this summer. Construction throughout all four phases could stretch over the next ten years, depending on market demand.

According to Klecker, “With the expansion of many existing companies and new companies moving to Owatonna, many new jobs have been created. This has put great pressure on the housing needs within the community. We have seen many new apartments created to help meet the housing demand; however, new owner-occupied residential units have been lacking. The Mineral Springs Estates project will be Owatonna’s largest owner-occupied residential development. Not only will this development provide greatly needed single-family homes, it will also introduce new options such as row homes and three-level flats. With its size, this development will provide as many owner-occupied units as have been constructed in the last ten years in Owatonna.”

Other housing projects are underway

There is also a 75-unit, market rate apartment building being constructed on the north end of Cedar Avenue. This project has a combination of one-, two- and three-bedroom units with underground parking. It is expected to be completed this fall. In January, the City Council approved a new riverfront redevelopment project in the downtown area. In addition to commercial space, the Ascend project will include 69 luxury, one- and two-bedroom apartments with balconies and a common deck area and fitness center. Demolition for the project will begin in June and construction is planned to be completed in fall of 2024. Last fall, Schrom Construction constructed infrastructure to support a 17-lot residential subdivision along Maple Creek to provide executive-level lots for new construction. The first home in this development is currently under construction and more are planned for later this year.

To continue addressing the need for housing, the City of Owatonna has contracted with Maxwell to update its housing study and expects to have these results in June. This study will be used to demonstrate Owatonna’s current and future housing needs to prospective developers over the next ten years.

New Online Permit Application System

The Building Inspection Division is excited to announce its new online permitting system through OpenGov Citizen Services! The project team has been working for several months to launch this new system to serve the community better and more efficiently as it allows for online payments! In person payments will continue to be accepted as well. Please e-mail inspect@ci.owatonna.gov or call 507-444-4370 with questions about this process.

Creating a new account:

Visit owatonna.gov
On the bottom of the page there is a maroon circle titled “License & Permits”
On the “License & Permit Forms” page, click on “Building Permits”
Click on “Sign Up” in the upper right corner, then click “Sign up using Secure Portal”
Complete the required information including e-mail and password

Applying for a permit:

On the “Building Inspections” page (mentioned above), look for the right type of permit in the left navigation menu and click on the appropriate link
Complete the application - it’s okay to stop along the way as the application will be saved and can be completed later
Once the account is created and the permit is applied for, the applicant will be able to refer back to their submission to follow the process of approvals
Applicants are notified by email when permits are approved and will be able to see the required inspections for their project

It's Severe Weather Season

Understanding Outdoor Warning Sirens

Many people believe outdoor warning sirens are the primary method of alerting the public of severe weather threats, however, that is not the case. These sirens are intended for people who are outdoors and may not have the ability to monitor the weather using other notification methods. They not intended to be heard indoors

When there is impending severe weather, the warning sirens will sound for a minimum of four minutes with a steady pitch. In Steele County, the Rice Steele 911 Center activates the emergency warning sirens. Residents should always take shelter when hearing an emergency warning siren and should have a means of receiving updated information while sheltering. The sirens do NOT sound an all-clear signal.

To ensure siren function during critical situations, they are tested the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. During testing, the sirens will sound for one minute and then shut off. Additional information is available online through Steele County and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Construction crew demolishing stage inside Council Chambers

Photo of interior foundation wall showing deterioration

Council Chambers Renovations Underway

Saving trees while updating underground infrastructure can be a challenge! City staff and the contractor working on the Council Chambers renovation project met this challenge head-on recently when an unidentified manhole utility component was discovered. 11 mature trees on the West Hills Campus were saved, aging infrastructure was replaced and construction costs were reduced through additional design work. The City Council approved change orders at its May 16 meeting to cover the cost of this creative solution to an unanticipated challenge. The underground utilities for the addition being constructed at City Hall have been installed.

Other recent progress made on the renovation of the Council Chambers includes the demolition of the stage area inside the previous Chambers that hadn’t been utilized for several decades. Segments of the original structure were preserved to use in the coming weeks when this space is being reconfigured.

Construction crews are now focusing on reinforcing the west wall on the lower level of the building’s foundation and on pouring concrete footings for the addition. Local contractors involved in this phase of the project include Four Seasons Electric and D&M Construction.

Helpful Links

May 21-27, 2023 is National Public Works Week!

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