May 11—MANKATO — Mankato developer Mike Drummer worked with the nuns at the School Sisters of Notre Dame for two years to reach a purchase agreement with them to buy and redevelop much of Good Counsel hill.
At a community meeting Thursday night attended by more than 100 people, Drummer allayed any fears that he would be razing the brick buildings, doing away with the chapel or building apartment towers.
"My promise to the sisters was to preserve that campus as much as possible. Those buildings are like fortresses and the sisters maintained them well. It'd be a sin to tear them down."
Drummer's hope is to remodel and update the apartments the nuns lived in, turning them into affordable one-bedroom apartments he hopes will be able to rent for about $600 a month. He also plans to turn some of the land on the hilltop into affordable senior housing, putting in one- and two-bedroom one-level patio homes.
Drummer said the lack of affordable homes in Mankato is partly due to seniors being unable to afford to move to a smaller home, which would open up their house for younger families.
Finally, Drummer plans to build single-family homes and some twin homes below the hill, in the former pasture that's across the street from Tourtellotte Park and neighborhood.
He said the hillsides themselves can't be built on.
Drummer said the development is a 10-year or longer project.
But what many in the crowd wanted to talk about and had concerns over was a plan by Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge to purchase two of the campus buildings for use as treatment centers for adults with addictions.
Drummer said that group's plan is separate from his development, has a separate purchase agreement with the sisters and will hold their own community meetings to discuss their plans. "They want to meet and talk with you." They have not yet set a meeting date but neighbors and parents of students at the Loyola school campus will be notified of meetings.
The Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge website says, "Our mission is to assist men, women and teens in gaining freedom from chemical addictions and other life-controlling problems by addressing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs."
They have programs in Minneapolis, Brainerd, Duluth, Rochester and Buffalo.
The meeting Thursday night was the first of what will be at least five public meetings as the development plans progress.
Nate Myhra, of Bolton & Menk, said the first step is to have the city lift an "institutional overlay" district designation for the property. The district was put in place to allow the sisters to conduct their various operations on the site but needs to be lifted now that the sisters are gone and there is no institution in place.