Closing On New Juneau City Hall Delayed Over Zoning Matter

(Juneau) Officials in Juneau had hoped to be in their new city hall by now but have yet to close on the property because of a zoning issue. Farmers and Merchants Bank is selling their old building at 405 Jewel Street to the city for $175-thousand dollars. Closing was supposed to be in June.

Juneau City Attorney Mark Sweet told the common council Tuesday night that restrictive covenants on the parcels were recently discovered that limit the use of the property to residential. The lots should have been zoned commercial. Sweet says there may be some legal interpretations of the language in the covenants that benefit the city but while that plays out, he recommends seeking the indemnity from the bank and extend the closing date.

The current City Hall at 150 Miller Street, across from the Dodge County Administration Building, is in need of repairs that officials say are not cost-effective. Move-in costs are estimated at around $30-thousand dollars. Juneau moved into the current City Hall, a former law office, in 1986.

The Farmers and Merchants Union Bank branch in Juneau has moved into a new 2,700-square-foot facility located at the intersection of Highway 26 and Western Avenue, next to the Piggly Wiggly.

 

Listen to the entire Juneau Common Council meeting here: