12-11-14 downtown fdl rehabilitation project gets council approval

The Fond du Lac city council has voted in favor of a final resolution declaring  the downtown A.C Nielson building a blighted property.  The blight declaration allows for $4.2 million in redevelopment revenue bonds for the purchase and rehabilitation of the property.  Marian University has purchased the property and is relocating its School of Nursing to the building.  Community Development director Diane Benson says the property qualifies as blighted because the building has been unused or under utilized for years resulting in the need for additional rehabilitation and improvements.  The city has already approved spending $255,000 in taxpayer money to cover a potential funding gap for the project.  Benson says the scope of the project makes it one of the most significant downtown redevelopment projects in recent years.