Osseo City Council approves land sale to expand city

OSSEO - The Osseo City Council gave its approval coming out of closed session in the City Council meeting of June 8 to the purchase of 78 acres of land behind the current Osseo Family Restaurant which will be annexed to the city.

Mayor Josh Pettis said the land, owned by the Paulson family before being sold to the city. will be developed with light industrial expansion in mind and hopes that its location next to the interstate will attract businesses to locate there.

"We're in a situation where we're limited in where we can expand around the city so having this land really will be a big boost as far as economic development goes and that can lead to many more benefits extending from that."

Those benefits an be an increase in the city's tax base, population and economic growth along with fixing up the area where the land is located on the northeast side of the city.

"Let's face it, when you have empty buildings out there and other open parcels of land, it's not a good look for the city," Osseo City Council President Tim Johnson said. "Hopefully we can make it an attractive buy for a industrial business to locate there and other businesses will follow."

In the area across Hwy. 10 new housing developments are being planned or are being constructed so such growth in the city's land mass compliments plans for light industrial development.

"i think there are tons of opportunities here with little risk," council member Jim Caldini said. "There's proximity to the interstate and other highways such as 10 and 53 so that allows access to a businesses' customer base. It's location makes it an attractive opportunity to locate there and the city can do its part to promote it as well."

Read more on the Osseo City Council and government in next week's print edition of the Tri-County Area Times newspaper, on newsstands July 8.