Almost simultaneously, two large developments, a 212-unit project referred to by both the city and developer Kading Properties LLC, Urbandale, as “workforce housing,” and new interest by Polk City-based Kenyon Hill Ridge LLC in restarting work on a subdivision east of Van Diest Medical Center, are now moving ahead.

At the same time, the city is seeing a concerning increase in the number of buildings that, due to lack of basic maintenance by their owners, become derelict and, eventually, are declared a public nuisance.

Such buildings, with all utilities cut off, quickly become dangerous and can even become crime scenes. Often the only future they have is to be acquired by the city and demolished at taxpayer expense.

City staff fear the number of such buildings could grow substantially in 2025.

At the center of all this is Ariel Bertran, development director for the City of Webster City. She brought forward five resolutions at Monday’s meeting of the City Council of Webster City where development issues dominated the agenda.

Two resolutions recommended the city take possession of two nuisance properties, both abandoned residences — at 128 Apple Avenue and 403 Prospect Street.

The city has an established procedure before a property is officially declared a nuisance. The process begins with the city informally working with the property owner to resolve conditions that violate city codes or are deemed unsafe.

If this is unsuccessful, a formal nuisance notice is served to the property owner, listing specific steps that must be taken to address the nuisance and within a specified period of time. If no results are forthcoming, a hearing may be convened during which the owner may refute the city’s claims. If none of this works, the property may be declared a nuisance.

Occasionally, the story of a nuisance property has a happy ending. That was the case Monday when the Council unanimously approved acquisition of 408 Grove Street by Michael and Sheila Scott, of Webster City. The Grove Street property, which is adjacent to the Scott home, is a nuisance property acquired by the city earlier this month.

A development agreement between the city and the Scotts requires them to:

— Take official title to the property;

— Demolish structures presently on the property, except the garage by July 31, 2025;

— Use fill dirt to level and sew grass on the property after demolition is complete;

— Repaint the garage “to match color of primary structure on adjacent parcel;”

— Pave the gravel driveway with concrete or asphalt, and;

— Combine the acquired property with an existing property to create one legal lot.

Michael Scott addressed the Council during Monday’s meeting, saying he hadn’t yet gotten estimates for the concrete work required for the new driveway, but felt he might need more time, both to schedule and pay for the work called for in the agreement. Bertran assured him the city would work with him on this matter.

Bertran also recommended the Council approve a preliminary plat, a map of a proposed development, drawn to scale, of Lynx Development No. 2, off Edgewood Drive. Size and

configuration of the building lots has changed, requiring the filing of a planned residential development document.

The city’s Planning & Zoning Commission didn’t support the changes, citing a lack of detail on expected sales prices of the new homes, size of garages and number of parking spaces, questions regarding home layouts, and whether multiple lots could be combined to allow construction of a larger, single-family home, according to the Council packet.

Councilman Matt McKinney said he preferred to “send the matter back to Planning & Zoning to work out their remaining objections. That’s why we have city commissions.”

Councilwoman Abby Hansen concurred, proposing a motion that “will defer further action on this, until we get these questions answered.”

Bertran also presented a proposal that’s been studied by staff for some time; it’s an amendment to Chapter 10, Article IV of the Code of Ordinances, concerning vacant and abandoned property. The ordinance pertains to any parcel, lot or property in all zoning districts throughout the city.

Her resolution included this explanation: “Due to the city’s ongoing efforts to identify vacant buildings throughout the community, including residential, commercial, and industrial properties, a significant number of vacant structures have been discovered. Many of these buildings have become neglected and now pose maintenance or safety concerns.”

The plan would establish a registry of vacant properties in Webster City.

Property owners would be required to submit a maintenance plan to prevent further deterioration, and provide a schedule to re-occupy or repurpose the structure. A fee would be charged for each building on the registry, and would increase with the period of vacancy.

A public hearing on the plan will be held at 6:05 p.m. May 5 at City Hall.

In other actions, the Council:

— Agreed to sign a contract with West Union Trenching, Inc., West Union, the low bidder, for construction of phase one of the city’s electrical distribution improvements project. Five firms bid on the work, quoting between $296,460 to $814,979. The engineer’s estimate for the work, prepared by DGR Engineering, Rock Rapids, the city’s consultant, was $551,000. Construction will begin in mid-May and take the remainder of 2025 to complete.

— Accepted the opinion of attorney Timothy J. Whipple, of Ahlers & Cooney, Des Moines, to accept a proposed amendment to the city’s contract with Platinum Connect, operator of a fiber optics cable system completed in 2023, and provider of internet service plans locally.

— Approved a resolution allowing the city to guarantee a line of credit in an amount up to $100,000 to benefit Webster City Day Care to allow it to pay unspecified “ongoing expenses.”

The line of credit will be provided by First State Bank, Webster City.

— Approved the marketing of warranty plans by Service Line Warranty of America to Webster City homeowners. The plans would cover water service lines, sewer service lines or septic lines for fees ranging from $7.99 to $12.99 per month. Marketing materials would carry the City of Webster City name and logo, and contact information for residents would be provided from the city’s official records.

John Kayser, 1800 Willson Avenue, Webster City, was uneasy having the city “put their name on services provided by others. This could imply there’s more protection here than there really is. I don’t think we should have anything to do with this,” he said. Kayser has been a licensed plumber in Webster City for 49 years.