The Escanaba City Council on Oct. 2 voted to accept a request-for-proposal response from Stonebrook Condominiums for the city-owned 5.17-acre parcel and asked staff to present a purchase agreement at the next council meeting.

The developer’s representative, Judy Owens Escanaba of Allstate Development, told the council the proposal would build 25 condominiums and estimated the project would add about $250,000 annually to the city tax base. “We are committed to hiring local trades, contractors, sourcing our materials from local vendors whenever possible,” Owens said. “Stonebrook is shovel ready with site work scheduled to still begin this fall. We are ready to move forward. We just need your support. We ask tonight that you please vote and vote yes.”

The council’s decision was procedural: members voted to accept the Stonebrook RFP response and direct staff to return a purchase-and-sale agreement for final legal review and formal approval. The motion passed on a recorded roll call; city staff said the draft agreement will receive a line-by-line legal review before final action.

Why this matters: the parcel has been discussed historically as park land, and several public speakers told the council the city charter may limit the council’s ability to sell park-designated property without voter approval. Escanaba resident and taxpayer Joe Kaplan and others reviewed historical council minutes and the city recreation plan, saying the parcel was identified for future recreational use in city records. Kaplan warned the council that selling park property could require approval by 60% of voters, a restriction he described as embedded in the city charter.

Council members and staff noted other layers of review that apply even if a purchase agreement is signed: zoning, planning commission review, and site-plan approvals will be required before building can begin. The city attorney told the council a legal review of the purchase agreement will be completed if the council directs staff to proceed. The city attorney also reminded the council that standard land-use approvals remain a separate process and can impose additional conditions.

Key details recorded in the meeting: the developer proposed 25 units on 5.17 acres; the developer said there are about 15 interested buyers from Escanaba and Delta County; staff described a due-diligence period in prior draft agreements of 12 months with a possible six-month extension; the council voted to accept the RFP and asked staff to return a purchase agreement at the next meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare a purchase agreement for legal review and return it to the council for final approval; any rezoning or site-plan reviews required by the planning commission must be completed before construction permits would be issued.

Votes at the meeting: the motion to accept Stonebrook’s RFP and request a purchase agreement returned to the council passed on roll call (recorded votes: Council Member Moore — yes; Council Member Flock — yes; Council Member Bauschau — yes; Council Member DuBois — yes; Mayor Hamill — yes).